THE RUINS
Written by
Scott Smith
FADE IN ON:
EXT. CANCUN HOTEL - SWIMMING POOL - DAY
The hotel is six stories high, a wall of glass and stucco.
Beach chairs are arrayed around the pool's edge; sunbathers
lie sprawled across them. A short boardwalk leads toward the
Gulf of Mexico: the white sand, the blue water.
Four young Americans are encamped near the pool's edge;
they're all in their early twenties. AMY lies face down on a
chaise, eyes shut, a cooler beside her. She's petite, with
short blond hair, her skin pinkly sunburned.
ERIC sits in the chair beside her, studying the Cliff Notes
for The Canterbury Tales. He's leanly muscular, with dark
curly hair. Other Cliff Notes lie scattered beneath his
chair: Antigone, A Separate Peace, Hea rt of Darkness, 1984.
JEFF and STACY sit on the far side of the cooler; they're
playing gin. Stacy, too, is petite, with short hair, though
hers,. is dark. She's wearing a pale blue bikini, and has a
beer bottle in her hand. She looks a little bored.
Jeff is tall, scrawny. Like Eric, he has a pair of swim
trunks on, and is deeply tanned. He's very focused, frowning
down at his cards.
STACY
We should play War. It's more fun.
Jeff takes a card from his hand, lays it down on the table.
JEFF
That's not even a game.
STACY
Sure it is. I'll teach you.
She starts-to fold her hand,'but Jeff shakes his head.
JEFF
I know how to play. I mean it's
just chance--there's no skill
involved.
Stacy frowns down at her hand, silenced. She picks a card
from the deck, immediately discards it. Jeff snatches it up,
lays down one of his own. Stacy stares at it in dismay.
STACY
But I keep losing.
2.
JEFF
'Cause you're not concentrating.
STACY
I wouldn't have to concentrate if
we played War.
JEFF
Exactly. So where's the fun?
STACY
I'd win sometimes. It's not fun if
we both can't win.
JEFF
But it's not winning if it's just
chance.
STACY
Of course it is. If we flipped a
coin, and I called heads, and it--
ERIC
Fuck..;this.. shit.
Eric throws the Canterbury Tales to the ground. Then he
rises, steps to the cooler, pulls out a beer, carries it back
to his chair. Stacy watches as he takes a long swallow.
STACY
Maybe you should just be honest,
sweetie.
Eric doesn't even glance at her. He sips his beer again.
STACY (cont'd)
You could say: look, I don't know
anything about these either, so now
we're gonna read them together and
sort of teach each other as we go.
(turning to Jeff)
Wouldn't you have loved that? To
have a teacher who--
Amy speaks without opening her eyes, cutting Stacy off:
AMY
Why would they hire you if you
haven't read the books?
ERIC
I said I had.
3.
JEFF
So maybe you should..
ERIC
(appalled by the idea)
The Canterbury Tales? You ever
look at that shit?
JEFF
I've read it.
ERIC
Fuck off. It's not even English.
Jeff watches Stacy take another card; she examines it, sets
it on the discard pile. Then, RECITING:
JEFF
This world nys but a thurghfare ful
of wo, and we been pilgrymes,
passing to and fro. Deeth is an
ende of every worldly soore.
Eric and Stacy stare at Jeff in astonishment. Amy doesn't
react. Jeff glances toward her.
JEFF (cont'd)
Sunscreen, Amy.
AMY
I'm fine. I've got a base.
JEFF
You're burning. I can see it.
She finally opens her eyes, lifts her head, peers at her
shoulders. She presses at the pink skin.
ANY
I'm just flushed. It's too hot.
Stacy leans forward, picks a second card off the deck. Jeff
is focused on Amy; he doesn't notice.
JEFF
You're hot because you're burning.
AMY
It's only been--
Stacy interrupts, speaking in a slightly SINGSONG fashion:
4.
STACY
So there was this king, who lived
in a castle.
Amy turns, gives her a pained look.
AMY
Please don't.
ERIC
But what he really wanted was a
beach house.
AMY
Stop it. Both of you. Right now.
They ignore her, ping-ponging quickly back and forth:
STACY
So he decided to move.
ERIC
But the Queen didn't want to.
STACY
So he left by himself.
ERIC
But he got lonely.
Amy covers her ears with her hands, blocking out their
voices, but then inmiediately reaches to feel for her
earrings: one of them is missing.
AMY
Shit.
STACY
So he bought a dog.
ERIC
But it had fleas.
AMY
I lost my earring.
STACY
So he gave it a bath.
ERIC
But the dog caught. cold.
Amy sits up, glancing about. Stacy and Eric keep going:
5.
STACY
So he gave it some medicine.
ERIC
But it was the wrong kind.
STACY
So the dog died.
Amy rises, steps toward the pool. Jeff lays down his cards,
joins her beside the water. They both peer into it.
EXT. CANCUN HOTEL - BOARDWALK - DAY
A young man is approaching down the boardwalk from the beach,
carrying fins, a mask, a snorkel. He's in his early
twenties: blond, crew-cut, very tall. His name is MATHIAS.
As he nears the pool, he stops, staring.
MATHIAS'S POV - THE POOL
Eric and Stacy have risen to join Jeff and Amy; they're all
peering into the water. Amy holds her remaining earring out
to Eric and Stacy, showing them what it looks like.
BACK TO SCENE - MATHIAS
He stands there, hesitating. Then he starts forward.
MATHIAS'S POV - THROUGH THE MASK - UNDERWATER - DAY
We glide just above the pool's pale blue bottom. A silver
earring comes into view. Mathias's hand reaches for it.
EXT. CANCUN HOTEL - POOL - DAY
The two couples have spread out around the pool's edge,
searching for the earring. Mathias surfaces in front of Amy.
He holds out his hand, with the earring-in it; she stares,
startled, then crouches to take it.
AMY
Thank you so much.
.Mathias nods. He starts to turn, as if to swim off, but Jeff
stops him:
6.
JEFF
Wait. . .want a beer?
He waves toward their chairs, the cooler beside them.
EXT. CANCUN HOTEL - POOL - LATER
Mathias and the two couples sit together, with their beers.
Amy's skin has turned deep red; Stacy is behind her, applying
lotion to her shoulders. Eric is talking to Mathias:
ERIC
We went sailing yesterday. Out
toward Cozumel? And there were
these seven foot fish, these huge--
JEFF
Nurse sharks.
ERIC
(he nods)
Like thirty of them. A whole, you
know, flock.
JEFF
School.
ERIC
The water was, I don't know, ten
feet deep? And they were lying on
the bottom, just waiting for
somebody to come swimming by--
JEFF
They're not dangerous.
Eric turns, stares at Jeff.
ERIC
You said they're sharks.
JEFF
But they're not dangerous. They
eat lobsters. Sea urchins. That
sort of thing.
Eric considers this, frowning. Then he takes a sip of beer.
He shrugs, turns back toward Mathias.
ERIC
I wouldn't be snorkeling on my own.'
That's all I'm saying.
7.
When Mathias speaks, it's with a SLIGHT GERMAN ACCENT:
MATHIAS
I wasn't on my own. I was with my
brother.
Jeff glances around the pool.
JEFF
He's here?
Mathias shakes his head.
MATHIAS
He met a girl. They went away.
JEFF
To?
MATHIAS
It's a complicated story.
They watch him, waiting for more, but nothing comes. Finally:
ERIC
You should hang with us, then. If
you're on your own.
(he glances at the others)
Right?
Everyone nods, smiling. Eric reaches into the cooler, pulls
out another beer, holds it toward Mathias.
EXT. CANCUN BEACH - NIGHT
There's a DJ, a dozen beer kegs. A few young men and women
are dancing beside a bonfire, but most of the crowd is
scattered in small groups across the sand, TALKING, drinking,
the firelight flickering off their faces.
Stacy, Amy, Eric, Jeff and Mathias are sitting together; they
all have cups of beer. Stacy is between Eric's legs, leaning
against his chest. Amy, Jeff and Mathias sit cross-legged.
Everyone but Jeff and Mathias is a little drunk, and you can
hear it in their voices. Amy drains her cup, stands up, very
unsteadily. She holds out her hand to Jeff.
AMY
Dance.
Eric smiles, as if the idea of Jeff dancing were absurd.
8.
ERIC
Jeff doesn't dance, Amy--he has no
rhythm. Of all his many gifts,
rhythm is not one.
AMY
That's not true. He played the
trombone in high school. He won a
prize.
Eric seems startled by this, amused.
ERIC
Seriously?
Amy nods. She drains her beer, tosses the cup aside.
AMY
Jeff's won prizes for everything.
His Mom has a whole room built just
for them. Trophies and ribbons and
plaques. He's a very accomplished
young man.
(she holds out her hand-to
ERIC)
You?
ERIC
(he shakes his head)
I don't dance on sand.
Stacy makes a SNORTING sound.
STACY
Or grass. Or cement. Or carpet.
ERIC
I dance on teak.
AMY
Teak?
ERIC
It's a type of wood. Very rare.
Find me a teak floor and I'll be a
dancing fool.
Amy shifts toward Mathias, holds out her hand. He stares at
it, then glances at Jeff. Before he can speak, Stacy pushes
herself to her feet; she's almost as wobbly as Amy.
STACY
I'll dance.
9.
They lurch off across the sand toward the bonfire. The boys
watch them go. A beat, then Jeff glances at his watch.
JEFF
I'm gonna head back.
Eric gives him a look of disappointment,
ERIC
You're kidding.
Jeff seems STARTLED by this:
JEFF
What?
ERIC
How long is med school? Four
years?
Jeff nods.
ERIC (cont'd)
And then you got, whaddya call it,
residency?
Another nod. Eric turns toward Mathias.
ERIC (cont'd)
He's gonna be grinding away all
that time. Sleepless. Fucking
miserable. And know what? He's
gonna look back on this night, us
right here, and he's gonna say to
himself, shit, I wish I'd--
JEFF
Gone to bed earlier.
Eric stares at him; this wasn't the direction he was heading.
JEFF (cont'd)
If I'm gonna be so short on sleep,
I should get as.much as I can now,
don't you think?
He stands up, brushes the sand from his shorts. Eric shrugs,
lifts his cup toward him.
ERIC
All work and no play--
10.
JEFF
Makes a man healthy, wealthy, and
wise.
With that, Jeff nods good night to them, then starts off
toward the hotel. Eric and Mathias turn back toward the
bonfire. They sit in silence, watching the girls dance.
After a moment, Amy staggers away from the other dancers,
toward a group of young men, drinking together in the
shadows. She reaches down, pulls one of them to his feet,
starts to drag him back toward the bonfire.
The young man is tall, with long blond hair. He LAUGHS,
tries to free himself, but Amy is insistent; she keeps
pulling at him, and finally he surrenders. They begin to
dance. Stacy is dancing on her own, eyes shut, oblivious.
Mathias glances toward Eric. Eric shrugs.
ERIC
Amy drifts sometimes, when she
drinks.
MATHIAS
Drifts?
ERIC
Like a boat--she bumps into other
boats.
They continue to watch. Amy and her partner's dancing is
becoming steadily more intimate, the gap between their bodies
narrowing, then disappearing altogether. Finally, Eric
pushes himself to his feet.'
ERIC (cont'd)
Come on. Let's save everyone some
grief.
He starts. forward, followed by Mathias. They join Stacy and
Amy, and Eric subtly interrupts Amy's pas de deux. The blond-
haired young man disengages, drifts back toward his friends.
EXT. CANCUN BEACH - DAWN
It's quiet, the sun just breaking the horizon; the beach is
nearly empty. A handful of hotel employees are tidying up
after the bonfire: carrying off the empty kegs, raking clean
the rubbish-strewn sand. Gulls hover overhead, CAWING.
11.
Jeff appears, running along the beach, his T-shirt soaked
with sweat. He stops as he nears us, stands for a moment
just above the line of surf, catching his breath, watching
the sun rise. Then he turns, starts toward the hotel.
EXT. CANCUN HOTEL - TERRACE - DAWN
A breakfast buffet: trays of pancakes, eggs, fresh fruit.
There are a dozen tables beneath brightly colored umbrellas.
Mathias is the only diner at this hour; he's dressed in jeans
and a T-shirt. He studies a piece of paper as he eats.
JEFF (O.S.)
You're up early.
Mathias lifts his head: Jeff is standing there in his sweaty
shirt, smiling down at him.
MATHIAS
I have to catch a bus.
JEFF
To?
Mathias slides the sheet of paper toward him. Jeff bends to
look. There's a paragraph in German scrawled above a hand-
drawn map, with four place names: Cancun, Valladolid,
Tizimin, Coba. A large X has been drawn to the west of Coba.
MATHIAS
The girl my brother met was on her
way to this place, to work.
(he waves at the map)
It's a dig--an archaeological dig.
And he went with her. He left the
map, saying I could come, too, if I
got bored on my own.
A beat; he watches Jeff examine the map. Then:
MATHIAS (cont'd)
Our flight leaves the day after
tomorrow. I can wait and hope he
returns in time.. Or I can go get
him. It's a question of trusting
him to do the right thing.
JEFF
And you don't?
12.
MATHIAS
Henrich doesn't think things
through. He runs at them. He's...
(he searches, shakes his
HEAD)
There's a word in English, but I
can't remember it.
JEFF
impetuous?
MATHIAS
(he nods)
So I have to be--
JEFF
Responsible.
MATHIAS
All our lives, the same story.
Jeff.slides the map back toward him.
JEFF
It's what? One of those pyramids?
MATHIAS
(he shakes his head)
An old mining camp.
JEFF
De oro? 0 plata?
Mathias just stares at him.
JEFF (cont'd)
You don't speak Spanish?
Mathias shakes his head.
JEFF (cont'd)
So how will you find this place?
MATHIAS
(he smiles, shrugs)
Follow the m ap.
Jeff frowns down at the map for a long beat. It seems as if
he's going to question the feasibility of this, but. then he
disengages instead, wiping at the sweat on his face.
JEFF
Well, good luck.
13.
Mathias nods his thanks, and Jeff turns, starts away from the
table. WE MOVE with him, across the terrace, into the:
INT. CANCUN HOTEL - RESTAURANT
It's completely empty at this hour, and eerily silent.
Chairs are stacked on the tables. As Jeff enters, a waiter
moves past ham, carrying a pitcher of orange juice. Jeff
stops, turns to watch through the window beside the door.
JEFF'S POV - THROUGH THE WINDOW
The waiter refills Mathias's glass. Mathias smiles, nods.
BACK TO SCENE
Jeff hesitates, wavering. Then he pushes open the door
again, steps outside. We watch--
THROUGH THE WINDOW
--as he approaches Mathias. There's the sound of someone
RETCHING, COUGHING. This carries over into:
INT. CANCUN HOTEL - JEFF AND AMY'S BATHROOM - DAY
A rack with towels on it, a sink, a tub. Amy is crouched
over the toilet, in underwear and a T-shirt, VOMITING. Her
skin is bright red. Jeff is standing in the tub, freshly
showered, drying himself, watching. her. His running clothes
hang from a hook beside the door.
JEFF
You okay?
Amy doesn't answer. She COUGHS, spits.
JEFF (cont'd)
You don't have to come, you know.
AMY
I'm fine.
JEFF
You don't look fine.
AMY
Thank you. That's very helpful.
14.
She pushes herself to her feet, flushes the toilet, steps to
the sink, squeezes some toothpaste onto a toothbrush.
JEFF
We'll be back by nightfall. You
can just--
Amy is raising the brush to her mouth, but she stops, gives
Jeff a look in the mirror.
AMY
You don't want me to come?
JEFF
That's not what I'm saying.
AMY
So what're you saying?
JEFF
You're hungover, under slept,
SUNBURNED--
AMY
I'm not sunburned.
Jeff stares at her, the deep red of her face. Then he
shrugs, steps out of the tub, the towel around his waist.
JEFF
.All right. My mistake.
Amy bends over the sink, starts to brush her teeth.
INT. CANCUN HOTEL - JEFF AND AMY'S BEDROOM - DAY
A king-sized bed, a bureau, two night tables, a mini-fridge.
Jeff emerges from-the bathroom, steps toward the bureau,
starts to dress: boxers, jeans, T-shirt.
A beat, then Amy shuffles out of the bathroom. She sits on
the edge of the bed, starts to pull on a pair of shorts.
JEFF
Pants.
Amy stops, the shorts around her ankles.
AMY
I'll get too sweaty.
15.
Jeff pulls a pair of khakis from the bureau, tosses them onto
the bed beside her.
JEFF
There's gonna be mosquitoes.
He picks up a knapsack, steps to the mini-fridge, opens its
door. Amy stares down at the khakis for a beat, then drops
back onto the bed. She lies there, looking up at the
ceiling, her shorts still caught around her ankles.
AMY
We don't even know this guy.
Jeff slides two bottles of iced tea into the knapsack.
There's a plastic shopping bag beside the fridge, and he
starts to dig through it.
JEFF
And?
AMY
I just don't see why we have to go
with him.
JEFF
If you and I were traveling
together, somewhere you didn't
speak the language, and I'd
vanished somehow, wouldn't you want
someone to help find me?
AMY
Why would you vanish?
Jeff turns, looks at her: this isn't the point.
JEFF
Aren't you getting bored?
Honestly. The beach, the pool, the
beach, the pool. This'll be fun.
An adventure.
Jeff pulls two protein bars from the bag, a box of raisins, a
plastic bag full of grapes; he drops them into the knapsack.
JEFF (cont'd)
You said you wanted to go;hiking,
didn't you? See the ruins.
Amy is silent, unmoving, clearly not swayed.
16.
JEFF (cont'd)
Stay here, then. Seriously.
There's no--
AMY
Why do you keep saying that?
JEFF
BECAUSE--
AMY
It's like you'd rather I didn't--
A KNOCKING at the door, and she falls silent. Jeff rises,
zipping shut the knapsack. He steps to the door, opens it.
Stacy and Eric are in the hall.
ERIC
Ready?
The both answer at the same time:
JEFF AMY
Amy's having second thoughts. Jeff doesn't want me to go.
Stacy and Eric are silent; neither wants to get involved in
this. A beat, then Jeff SIGHS, glances at his watch.
JEFF
Now or never, Any. .We're gonna
miss the bus.
Amy gives a loud GROAN, sits up, reaches for her khakis.
INT. TOUR BUS - DAY
Only half the seats are occupied: tourists with their packs
and cameras-and hats. Little TVs hang from the ceiling.
We MOVE slowly down the aisle, passing Jeff and Amy first.
Amy is sound asleep, a camera hanging from her neck, a Panama
hat in her lap. Jeff is beside her, bent low over a tour
book, comparing its much more detailed map with the one
Mathias's brother left behind.
Next come Eric and Stacy, hunched together in their seats,
watching a Mexican soap opera on the little TV above them.
Stacy mimics the actors' exaggerated gestures, GIGGLING.
Eric has the Cliff Notes for Hamlet in his lap, unopened.
Finally, there's Mathias. The seat beside him is empty.
He's staring out the window, his expression perfectly blank.
17.
EXT. COBA - DAY
The town is very small: a dirt road lined with one- and two-
story buildings, some with thatched roofs. There's a gravel
turnaround, with a bus idling in it. Its door CREAKS open.
A dozen tourists emerge from the bus, blinking in the
sunlight. Jeff, Amy, Stacy, Eric, and Mathias are among
them. The boys have the knapsacks; the girls are wearing
matching hats. Amy rubs at her face, stretching, waking up.-
There's a souvenir stand at the town's entrance, with
brightly colored blankets hanging from its walls. The
tourists start toward it, leaving Jeff and the others beside.
the idling bus. They peer about, getting their bearings.
ERIC
Now what?
Mathias has his brother's note. He holds it out, pointing,
and they gather around him to look.
MATHIAS
We take a cab. To here.
WE SEE the map: there's a line drawn from Cancun to Coba,
where another, shorter line moves westward. Mathias's finger
moves along this shorter line, toward the X on the map.
ERIC
How far?
MATHIAS
Eighteen kilometers.
STACY
How many miles is that?
They all glance at Jeff. He shrugs.
JEFF
Eleven. A little more.
MATHIAS
Then there'll be a path. Which we
hike--four kilometers.
The others look to Jeff again. He slings his pack.
JEFF
Two and a half miles.
18.
The tourists are vanishing into the town. The bus's door
SQUEAKS shut.
ANY
I don't see any cabs.
The bus eases into motion, CRUNCHING across the gravel,
pulling out onto the road. Behind it, a yellow pickup truck
is revealed. "TAXI" is hand-painted in black on its side.
They start toward the truck. Its DRIVER is Mayan: short and
heavy-set, with thick glasses. His eyes are shut; he's
dozing behind the wheel. The truck's engine.is running, the
windows shut tight against the heat.
Jeff TAPS the window, and there's a burst of movement from
the truck's rear, as a dog springs up, BARKING and GROWLING.
They all leap back, the girls SHRIEKING.
The dog is a mutt--small, but muscular. He's attached to a
cinder block by a short chain, which he throws himself
against, slobbering, snapping at the air.
They all stare at the dog; the girls LAUGH nervously,
clutching each other. The driver has roused himself; he
leans forward, rolls down his window, stares out at them.
JEFF
Hola.
The man gives him a somber nod; the dog keeps BARKING. Jeff
takes the map from Mathias, then steps warily forward.
JEFF (cont'd)
Habla ingles usted?
The man half-nods, half-shrugs.
JEFF (cont'd)
How much to drive us to here?
He offers the map to the driver, who reaches to take it. The
man frowns at it. Then, in HEAVILY ACCENTED ENGLISH:
DRIVER
Why you go this place?
Jeff struggles for a simple way to explain their mission. in
the back of the truck, the dog continues its frantic BARRING.
JEFF
There are these ruins. This old
mining camp?
(MORE)
19.
JEFF (cont'd)
(he points toward Mathias)
And his brother---
DRIVER
Fifteen dollar, I take you ruins.
JEFF
To here?
Jeff points at the map. The driver shakes his head.
DRIVER
This place no good.
He holds the map back out toward Jeff. Jeff takes it, gives
the man a puzzled look.
JEFF
No good?
DRIVER
No good you go. Fifteen dollar I
take you good place. You like, I
promise.
Jeff glances toward the others, as if for help. They all
just stand there, watching. The dog won't stop BARRING.
DRIVER (cont'd)
I take you pyramid. Huy grande.
Everyone happy.
He smiles at Jeff; his teeth are large and thick-looking,. and
black along the gums. Jeff pulls out his wallet. He removes
a ten and a five, then points at the map.
JEFF
How about we pay you fifteen
dollars to go here?
He holds the money out. The man doesn't even look at it.
DRIVER
I tell you no good. Still you go?
His smile has disappeared; he seems angry suddenly, as if
Jeff has somehow insulted him. Jeff hesitates, glancing
toward the others again. Then, in a CONCILIATORY TONE:
JEFF
We're looking for his brother.
(he points toward Mathias)
Su hermano?
20.
The driver wrenches the door open, making Jeff and the others
flinch. He climbs out, still with that angry expression on
his face, then leans into the back of the truck, grabs the
dog's chain, unhooks it from the cinder block.
He lifts the dog from the truck by the chain. Even dangling
by its neck, the mutt continues to SNARL and snap at Jeff and
the others. They back away, and the man tosses the dog into
the truck's cab, pushing the door shut. The dog throws its
body against the window, slobbering and BARKING.
The man turns toward Jeff, wiping his hands on his pants.
Jeff tries again:
JEFF (cont'd)
I'm sure your ruins are better than
these. It's just that we--
The driver cuts him off, holding out his hand, with that same
air of enraged disgust.
DRIVER
El dinero.
Jeff gives him the money. Then the driver SLAPS the side of
the truck, gestures for them to climb into the back.
EXT. YUCATAN ROAD - FROM HIGH ABOVE - DAY
Below us, the yellow truck travels along a single-lane road.
Jeff and the others are in its rear. There are fields on
either side of the road, bordered by thick jungle.
The truck reaches a fork in the road, bears left, angling
toward the wall of jungle, into which it vanishes, the
overhanging foliage blocking it from sight.
EXT. YUCATAN ROAD - IN THE JUNGLE - DAY
The road is dirt, heavily rutted. There's a small clearing
beside it, with a path opening off it. The trees grow over
the path, forming a shady tunnel. WE HEAR birds calling, a
steady throb of insect life, but otherwise all is silent.
A beat, then there's the sound of the TRUCK approaching,
along with the dog's BARKING and GROWLING. The pickup
appears, moving slowly, bouncing and swaying across the ruts.
The truck pulls into the little clearing, stops. Jeff and
the others clamber out over its tailgate.
21.
The dog is still lunging at them from behind the truck's rear
window. Jeff gives the driver a wave.
JEFF
Gracias, senor!
The driver doesn't even look at him; he just pulls out onto
the road, heading back in the direction from which they came.
There are mosquitoes; Stacy starts to slap at herself. Jeff
unslings his pack, pulls out a can of insect repellent.
JEFF (cont'd)
Here.
He begins to spray her, then Eric. Amy is peering off after
the truck. They can still hear the dog's BARKING, but very
faintly now. Jeff finishes with Eric, starts in on Mathias.
AMY
How do we get back?
She points back down the road, toward the vanished truck.
Jeff pauses in his spraying, considers for a moment. Then:
JEFF
The guidebook said you can always
flag down a passing bus. So I--
AMY
There aren't going to be any buses
on that road.
Jeff nods; this seems obvious. He resumes spraying Mathias.
Eric and Stacy stand there, watching.
AMY (cont'd)
A bus couldn't even fit.
JEFF
It also said you can hitch--
AMY
See any cars pass, Jeff?
Jeff doesn't answer. He steps toward her, starts to spray
her, too. She holds out her arms.
AMY (cont'd)
The whole time we were driving, you
see even one?
STACY
Eric has his phone. Can't we just
call someone?
22.
AMY
He's not gonna get a signal. Not
way out here.
They all turn to watch as Eric reaches into. his pack, pulls
out his cell phone, flips it open. He stares at it for a
beat, then shakes his head, snaps it shut. Jeff finishes
spraying Amy, starts in on himself.
JEFF
They must-have a way to get
supplies in.
AMY
Who?
JEFF
The archaeologists. They must have
a truck. Or access to a truck.
When we find Mathias's brother, we
can just ask them to take us all
back to Coba.
(turning to Mathias)
Right?
Mathias seems startled by the question.
MATHIAS
I guess ...I mean, I--
He shrugs; he has no idea. Amy is still focused on Jeff:
AMY
We're stranded, aren't we? That's,
like, a twenty mile walk we're
gonna have to do. Through the
jungle.
JEFF
Eleven.
AMY
What?
Jeff finishes with the insect repellent, crouches to slide
the can back into his pack.
JEFF
It's eleven miles.
AMY
There's no way that was eleven
miles.
23.
Jeff rises, slings his pack. He gives Amy a tired look.
JEFF
Let's just find this place, okay?
Then we can figure out how to get
back.
Amy is silent. Jeff turns to the others.
JEFF (cont'd)
Ready?
Mathias and Eric nod, and the boys start down the path. Amy
stands there, watching them go. Stacy steps toward her.'
STACY
Just go with it, honey. You'll
see--it'll all work out.
She hooks arms with her, pulls her into motion.
EXT. JUNGLE TRAIL - MOVING - DAY
They hike in single file: first Jeff, then Eric, Mathias,
Stacy, and Amy. The path is six feet wide, hard-packed dirt.
All around and above is the jungle: big-leafed plants, vines
and creepers, immense trees.
The path moves in snakelike curves; we can't see-very far in
either direction. They're all sweating, their shirts
clinging to their bodies. The bugs continue to harass them.
STACY
So-there was this girl who bought
a piano.
Amy gives a loud MOAN.
ERIC
But she didn't know how to play.
STACY
So she signed up for lessons.
ERIC
But she couldn't afford them.
Stacy reaches, taps Mathias's shoulder.
STACY
You can play, too. If you want.
24.
Mathias glances back at her.
STACY (cont'd)
It's easy. Someone says So, then
you say But. It's like catch, only
without a ball.
(to Eric)
So she got a job in a factory.
ERIC
But was fired for being late.
Amy takes off her hat, wipes the sweat from her face.
AMY
It's annoying.
STACY
So she became a prostitute.
AMY
It's tedious and boring. And once
they start, it's impossible to get
them to stop.
ERIC
But she fell in love with her first
client.
Amy puts her hat back on. She looks hot, sweaty, tired.
AMY
How much farther?
Mathias peers down at his brother's note. Stacy and Eric
continue with their game.
MATHIAS STACY
We cross a stream. Then So she asked him to marry
there'll be a path, branching her.
off to our left. If we see a
village, we've gone too far.
AMY (cont'd) ERIC
A village? But he was already married.
MATHIAS STACY
A Mayan village. So she begged him to get a
divorce.
AMY (cont'd) ERIC
Will they have air But he was in love with his
conditioning? wife.
25.
Mathias shrugs, returns the note to his pocket.
MATHIAS STACY
It just says there's a So she decided to kill her.
village.
AMY (cont'd)
I think we should go see it.
STACY
Me, too.
AMY
I think we should---
Jeff stops suddenly, pointing.
JEFF
The stream.
Thirty feet in front of them, the trail dips toward a small
stream, studded with boulders. It resumes on the far bank,
rising gradually uphill in a long straightaway. The stream
is slow moving, the water dark brown. Eric SNIFFS the air.
ERIC
Fucking smells.
JEFF
They must use it as a latrine.
ERIC
Who?
JEFF
The village. The Mayans.
They start toward it, gingerly, the girls covering their
noses. Jeff crosses the stream, hopping from boulder to
boulder, and the others follow. Stacy almost falls in; she
only catches her balance at the final instant, YELPING.
Jeff is already starting up the trail, searching for the
turnoff. There's no sign of it; the dense foliage extends
unbroken as far as the eye can see. He turns to Mathias.
JEFF (cont'd)
How far past the stream?.
MATHIAS
Right after, it says.
26.
They stand there in a loose group, staring at the trees.
Eric pulls a bottle of water from his pack, takes a swallow,
then passes it to Stacy. Amy lifts her arm, points.
AMY
Look.
Up the trail, sixty feet away, stand two small Mayan boys;
they seem to have materialized out of the air. They're ten
years old, shirtless, scrawny, dark-haired. one of them is
holding a bicycle by its handlebars; it doesn't have a seat.
AMY (cont'd)
Maybe they can guide us.
Stacy smiles toward the boys; she waves, CALLS OUT:
STACY
HOLAL
The boys just stand there, staring at them, silent, their
expressions wary, even frightened. One of them leans to
whisper something to the other, who nods.
ERIC
Why don't we--
He stops, noticing Mathias. The German is staring toward the
edge of the trail, where a large bush sits. one of its
fronds is very slowly dropping toward them, pulling itself
free of the soil.
Mathias steps forward, tugs at a second frond, which slips
easily from the dirt. He tosses it aside, reaches for
another frond: this, too, slips free. Someone has pushed
them into the earth, arranging them to look like a bush.
Mathias pulls a fourth frond free, then a fifth, and an
opening is revealed in the brush, a narrow path winding its
way off through the trees. They stand there a beat, staring
at it. Then there's a SQUEAKING SOUND, and they all turn.
AMY'S POV - UP THE TRAIL
one of the boys is hurriedly pedaling off, bent low over the
bicycle's handlebars. His companion remains behind, staring
toward us with a look of obvious anxiety.
BACK TO SCENE
Amy turns to Jeff; so do the others.
27.
AMY
Why was it covered?
Jeff lifts his hands: how should he know?
STACY
Maybe it's not the right path.
NO one speaks. They keep staring from the boy to the newly
revealed path, trying to make sense of it. WE can still HEAR
the squeaking of the bicycle, growing steadily fainter.
JEFF
It's on the map.
AMY
It's a hand-drawn map, Jeff.
STACY
And it was hidden. Why would it be
hidden?
Jeff steps forward, shields his eyes, tries to peer into the
dimness of the narrow path. Then he glances back toward the
little boy, who continues to stand there, watching them.
JEFF
Maybe the archaeologists don't want
people to find the mine.
AMY
Because?
Jeff has to think. Finally:
JEFF
Maybe they've dug up something
valuable. Emeralds or something.
Or silver. Whatever they were
mining in the first place. And
they don't want anyone to come rob
them. So they've asked the Mayans
to help keep people away.
He falls into silence, staring at the boy. No one appears
very convinced by his theory, not even Jeff. He shrugs.
JEFF (cont'd)
How much farther is it?
Mathias takes the map from his pocket again, glances at it.
28.
MATHIAS
Not far.
JEFF
Be silly to stop now, don't you
think?
No one answers; no one moves.
ANY
This just feels weird, Jeff.
Jeff SIGHS, fighting to suppress his impatience with her.
JEFF
So we what? Turn around? Walk all
the way back to Coba?
Silence. They all turn to stare back down the trail, then
toward the Mayan boy, who's still watching them. Stacy SLAPS
a mosquito, leaving a bloody smear on her bare arm. Jeff
lifts his hand, gestures at the path.leading into the trees.
JEFF (cont'd)
Come on. We're almost there.
The others glance at one another, waiting for someone to
argue; no one does. Finally, Mathias steps forward, slipping
through the narrow opening. Eric follows him, and then, with
just the slightest hesitation, so do Amy and Stacy.
Jeff throws one last glance toward the boy--who's still
standing there, sixty feet away, watching with his anxious
expression--and then he, too, vanishes into the trees.
EXT. NARROW PATH - MOVING - DAY
They make their way along the winding path, one after
another, all of them sweating, slapping at the mosquitoes.
ERIC
Maybe the ruins are sacred. You
know? And they don't want people
digging them up.
He glances about, off into the trees, a little spooked.
ERIC (cont'd)
We could be walking through some
sort of ancient graveyard right
now. And they've--
29.
JEFF
It's a mine. An old mining camp.
ERIC
So?
JEFF
There's nothing sacred about it.
Eric considers this as they walk. The others are also quiet:
too hot to speak. The sunlight falls through the trees in
thin, shifting columns, hazed with mosquitoes.
ERIC
Maybe it leads to a marijuana
field, then. Maybe the village is
growing pot, and that boy rode off
to get them, and they're gonna come
with guns and--
AMY
Eric.
ERIC
What?
AMY
Shut up, okay?
Eric falls silent. They follow the path as it curves first
right, then left, moving gradually uphill all the while, and
suddenly there's sunlight in front of them, bright and
intense: a clearing. They hesitate at its edge, staring.
EXT. CLEARING/BASE OF THE HILL - DAY
The clearing is twenty yards wide, and extends in either
direction as far as the eye can see, finally curving out of
sight. Its soil is a deep black, flecked with white, like
frost rime. It's completely free of vegetation.
The path resumes on the far side of the clearing, winding its
way up asmall hill. The hill is rocky, oddly treeless, and
covered with a vinelike growth--a vivid green, with hand-
shaped leaves and tiny red flowers.
Jeff and the others step warily out onto the cleared ground,
peering about, squinting in the sudden sunlight. They stare
up at the flower-covered-hill.
30.
There are hints of ruins among the thick foliage: giant
boulders with faint carvings etched onto their surfaces, the
crumbling remains of a fallen pillar, everything half-buried
beneath the vine.
STACY
It's beautiful.
AMY
So beautiful.
STACY
And the mosquitoes are gone. You
realize that? They've stopped
biting.
She smiles at the others, delighted by this development. Amy
removes the cap from her camera, starts to take pictures.
AMY'S POV - THROUGH THE VIEWFINDER
WE HEAR a click as she takes each photo, and the image
freezes for an instant.
There's the hillside, covered in its vine, its red flowers:
CLICK. There's Eric pulling the water bottle from his pack:
CLICK. There's Stacy smiling at us, waving: CLICK. There's
Mathias shading his eyes, peering up the hill.
AMY (O.S.}
Smile, Mathias.
MATHIAS
Is that a tent?
He points.
BACK TO SCENE
Amy lowers her camera, turns to look.
AMY'S POV - UP THE HILL
An orange square of fabric is just visible, at the very top
of the hill, billowing, sail-like, in the breeze. From this
distance, with the rise of the hill partly blocking the view,
its hard to tell what it is.
31.
BACK TO SCENE
They all stand there, peering up the hill. Faintly, but
growing steadily louder, a THUDDING noise comes from the
jungle. The five of them turn, heads cocked, listening.
JEFF
A horse.
It's true: HOOFBEATS are approaching at a gallop.
Instinctively, Jeff and the others back a handful of steps
toward the hill. A long. beat, then a horseman bursts into
the clearing, rearing to a halt. Amy lifts her camera.
AMY'S POV - THROUGH THE VIEWFINDER
A bald Mayan man is on the horse; he's broad-shouldered,
short, in his early forties, dressed in a white shirt and
pants. The horse rears a second time, and the image FREEZES
for an instant, with a CLICK, as Amy snaps another picture.
BACK TO SCENE
The bald man SHOUTS at them in UNSUBTITLED MAYAN. His horse
is lathered, SNORTING, rolling its eyes. It rears yet again,
and the man half-falls, half-jumps to-the ground. Jeff and
the others back a few more steps into the clearing.
AMY'S POV - THROUGH THE VIEWFINDER
The bald man is still holding the reins; the horse is backing
away from him, jerking its head, trying to break free,
pulling him, step-by-step, back toward the trail. CLICK.
BACK TO SCENE
The man can't gain control of the horse. Finally, he drops
the reins, and the horse gallops into the jungle, CRASHING
through the trees, its hoofbeats gradually diminishing.
The man turns toward them, starts YELLING in MAYAN again,
pointing back down the trail. Sweat shines on his forehead.
There's a gun on his belt, a black pistol in a brown holster.
Stacy is clutching Eric's arm, looking frightened.
STACY
What's he saying?
32.
ERIC
Maybe he wants money? A toll or
something?
The Mayan continues SHOUTING, waving his arm. Jeff reaches
into his pocket, pulls out his wallet, removes a twenty.
JEFF
Dinero?
The man ignores the proffered bill, makes a shooing motion,
waving them from the clearing. Mathias turns toward the
hill, cups his hands around his mouth, SHOUTS:
MATHIAS
HENRICHI
There's no response, just the orange fabric gently billowing.
JEFF
Why don't you hike up, see if you
can find him? We'll try to sort
this out.
Mathias nods, starts across the clearing. The bald man
SHOUTS at him in Mayan, and then, when Mathias doesn't stop,
pulls his pistol from its holster, FIRES into the sky.
Everyone flinches, half-ducking. Stacy SCREAMS. Mathias
goes still. The man waves at him, YELLING in Mayan, and
Mathias comes back, his hands raised, to join the others.
HOOFBEATS are approaching from the jungle again. They come
closer and closer, and suddenly two more horsemen burst into
the clearing. They're younger than the bald mans in their
twenties, dark-haired, muscular. One has a mustache.
Their mounts are white-eyed, SNORTING, rearing, just like the
bald man's. The two men jump to the ground, dropping their
reins, and the horses immediately turn and gallop back into
the jungle. Amy lifts her camera again.
AMY'S POV - THROUGH THE VIEWFINDER
The young men have bows slung across their chest, and quivers
of thin, fragile-looking arrows. They question the bald man
in MAYAN, very rapidly. He's still aiming his pistol at
Mathias. A CLICK, and the image freezes for an instant.
33.
BACK TO SCENE
As they continue to interrogate the bald man in MAYAN, the
young men unsling their bows, each of them nocking an arrow.
Reflexively, Jeff and the others retreat another handful of
steps into the clearing. Mathias still has his hands raised.
ERIC
What the fuck?
JEFF
Quiet.
ERIC
THEY'RE--
JEFF
Wait. Wait and see.
Amy is a bit farther into the clearing than Jeff and the
others. She keeps swinging her camera from them to the
Mayans, trying to capture the whole scene in one shot. She's
too close, though,-and she retreats another handful of steps.
AMY'S POV - THROUGH THE VIEWFINDER
Still backing up toward the hill; all of them but Stacy and
Eric are in the frame now. The bald Mayan is still answering
the young men's questions. He turns toward us suddenly,
points his pistol directly at us,.starts to SHOUT.
BACK TO SCENE
Jeff and the others turn, too, staring at Amy in surprise.
She's nearly at the far edge of the clearing, peering through
her camera; she retreats another step. The young Mayans
raise their bows, drawing them; the bald man keeps YELLING.
JEFF
AMY--
She takes another step; she's right up against the vines.
AMY'S POV - THROUGH THE VIEWFINDER
Stacy is in the frame now. We retreat one more step, and so
is Eric, and the Mayans with their raised weapons, the bald
man still SHOUTING: everything FREEZES on the CLICK.
34.
BACK TO SCENE
Amy lowers her camera. The Mayan with the mustache turns to
the other two, points toward her feet, SPEARING URGENTLY.
The bald Mayan slowly lowers his pistol, looking dismayed.
Amy glances down.
AMY'S POV - HER FEET
She's stepped out of the clearing, into the flowering vine.
BACK TO SCENE
Both of the younger Mayans are speaking now, their voices
RISING. The bald Mayan is shaking his head, protesting, but
they talk right over him. Amy steps clear of the vine,
starts back toward Jeff, and the younger Mayans draw their
bows taut again, aiming at her chest. She freezes.
AMY
JEFF---
Jeff lifts his hand, without looking, his eyes on the Mayans.
JEFF
Don't move.
The bald man continues to frown and shake his head. He
points to Amy, then the others; he waves toward the jungle.
But the young men are implacable--they keep arguing,
gesturing--and finally the bald man gives in, falls SILENT.
A beat, then the bald man raises his pistol, aims it at
Jeff's chest. He makes a shooing motion with his other hand,
but now it's toward Amy, and the hill beyond her.
He begins to SHOUT; the other men do, too. Then the bald man
FIRES a bullet into the dirt at Jeff's feet. Everyone jumps,
starts to retreat. The men with the bows are swinging them
back and forth, herding them toward the hill.
When Jeff and the others reach Amy, the bald man points
toward the trail, waves them up it. He watches--his
expression looking stricken, close to tears--as the five of
them obediently begin to climb the vine-covered hill.
EXT. HILLSIDE - DAY
Midway up the hill, they pause to catch their breath.
35.
JEFF
Check your phone, Eric.
Eric pulls out his phone, flips it open, stares at it.
ERIC
Nothing..
He snaps it shut. They stand there: sweating, scared
looking. Mathias cups his hands to his mouth again, SHOUTS:
MATHIAS
Henrich...I
They all peer up the hill, waiting for a response.
ERIC'S POV -- UP THE HILL
It is a tent: bright orange, looking a bit worse for wear.
The vine is growing up its aluminum poles as if on a trellis.
.The tent faces away from us; its doorway is hidden. There's
no sign or sound of any people.
BACK TO SCENE
Eric turns, glances back down the hill, shielding his eyes.
ERIC
There's another one.
He points toward the clearing below them.
ERIC'S POV THE CLEARING
A fourth man has arrived, on a bicycle. He's dressed in
white, like the others, with a straw hat on his head. A
beat, then two more Mayans appear, also on bicycles. They
all have bows slung over their shoulders.
The bald man addresses these newcomers. He waves in either
direction, and the other men start off along the clearing,
two one way, three the other, leaving him alone at the base
of the hill.
A beat, then a little boy appears from the jungle--the one
who'd watched them discover the camouflaged path. He and the
bald man stand there, peering up at us.
36.
BACK TO SCENE
Eric turns to the others, EXCITED:
ERIC
Let's run back down. Quick. While
there's just him and the kid. We
can rush them.
STACY
He's got a gun, Eric.
This silences Eric--silences all of them. Mathias turns,
SHOUTS toward the tent again.
MATHIAS
Henrich...1
There's no answer. They wait another beat, then Jeff waves
them back into motion.
EXT. HILLTOP - DAY
The hill is flat on top, forming a wide plateau. Beyond the
orange tent is a small clearing of rocky ground. A blue tent
sits on the far side of the clearing, looking just as
weathered as the orange one, the vine growing up its poles.
The five of them pause, peering about. Jeff CALLS OUT:
JEFF
Hello...?
SILENCE. The vine covers everything but the trail and the
clearing. We glimpse more rubble beneath its greenery: time-
worn stelae, a low stone wall.
In some places the vine folds back upon itself, forming waist-
high mounds, tangled knoll-like profusions of green. And
everywhere, hanging off it, are those bright red flowers.
Mathias moves toward the orange tent, and Jeff follows him.
They UNZIP its flap, stoop to peer inside.
JEFF'S POV - INSIDE-THE ORANGE TENT
The vine has taken root in here, too, growing on some things,
leaving others untouched. There are three sleeping bags
unrolled on the floor. An oil lamp. Two backpacks. A roll
of duct tape. A bottle of tequila. A metal canteen.
37.
BACK TO SCENE
Jeff and Mathias ZIP the flap back shut. Eric, Stacy and Amy
are fifteen feet away, watching.
ERIC
What's inside?
JEFF
Nothing. Some camping supplies.
Mathias starts across the clearing toward the blue tent,
followed by Jeff and the others. He UNZIPS its flap, sticks
his head inside. Jeff leans to look, too.
JEFF'S POV - INSIDE THE BLUE TENT
The same thing: sleeping bags, backpacks, camping supplies.
The vine is growing on some things, but not on.others.
BACK TO SCENE
Ten yards beyond the tent, there's a hole cut into the dirt.
Stacy, Amy, and Eric have gathered at its edge; Jeff and
Mathias join them. The hole is rectangular--ten feet by six
feet--and very deep; we can't see its bottom.
A windlass has been constructed beside the hole, a horizontal
barrel with a hand crank welded to its base. Rope is coiled
around the barrel. From there, it passes over a small wheel,
which hangs from a sawhorse straddling the hole's mouth.
Then it drops straight into the earth.
AMY
The mine?
Jeff nods. A draft is rising from the hole, and it lifts off
Amy's hat. She tries to catch it, but fumbles: the hat
falls away from her. They all watch it vanish into the dark.
Eric pulls out his phone, flips it open, almost
absentmindedly: a nervous gesture. There's still no signal.
He closes it, turns to survey the clearing, the empty tents.
ERIC
Now what?
Jeff shrugs, waves past the shaft. The clearing ends just a
few yards from them;
38.
then the vines resume, and in the midst of the vines is the
path. It winds its way to the edge of the hilltop, vanishes
over it.
JEFF
Keep going, I guess.
Saying this, he slings his pack onto his shoulder. Then he
starts forward, the others falling in behind him.
EXT. HILLSIDE - DAY
They pick their way down the trail. It's much steeper on
this side; there are short stretches where they have to drop
onto their rear ends and slide, one after another. It's
after one of these that Jeff suddenly stops, staring.
JEFF'S POV - THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL
It looks as if the jungle has been chopped down all the way
around the base of the hill, isolating it in a ring of barren
soil. One of the Mayans has made his way along this cleared
ground to the base of the trail. He's staring up at them.
ERIC (O.S.)
Fuck.
The man slides his bow off his shoulder, nocks an arrow. He
shakes his head at them, CALLS OUT in MAYAN, waves them away.
BACK TO SCENE
The five of them stand there, staring down at the man.
STACY
What do we do?
Jeff shrugs, starts forward again.
JEFF
We'll see.
The others hesitate, and then, one after another, resume
their downward march.
EXT. BASE OF THE HILL - DAY
As they approach the clearing, the Mayan man YELLS what
sounds like someone's name.
39.
A beat, then another bowman comes jogging into view. Jeff
and the others stop at the bottom of the trail. They stand
there, staring.
The vine has invaded the clearing here. Ten feet in front of
the path is one of those odd, knoll-like growths, knee-high,
thick with flowers. The two Mayans are another twenty feet
beyond it, in the center of the clearing, bows drawn.
AMY
So.
Her skin is slick with sweat, and she's winded from the hike
down. A third Mayan comes jogging toward them. He stops
beside the other two, draws his bow.
ERIC
We should rush them. All at once.
STACY
Shut Up, Eric.
ERIC
Or go make shields. If we had some
shields, we could--
He falls silent as another Mayan comes running toward them.
along the clearing. This one is bearded, heavier than the
others. And he's carrying a rifle.
ANY
Oh my god.
Jeff is staring at the little isolated island of vines, ten
feet in front of them--peering intently at it.
STACY
Let's go back up.
Jeff takes a step forward into the clearing--slowly, warily.
STACY (cont'd)
I wanna go back.
Jeff takes another step, edging toward the mound, his eyes on
the Mayans, their raised weapons. They just watch him.
ANY
JEFF--
He ignores her, takes a third step, then a forth, which
brings him to the mound of vines. He crouches, reaches into
the tendrils, parting them. He grasps a stalk, tugs, pulls
it free. WE SEE a tennis shoe, a sock, a man's shin.
40.
Jeff turns, stares at Mathias, who steps forward, crouches
beside him, starts to pull at the vines, gently at first,
then more aggressively, tearing them, the plant's sap shining
on his skin, a low MOAN rising from his chest.
Another shoe is revealed, another leg, a pair of jeans, a
belt buckle, a black T-shirt. And then, finally: a young
man's face, the flesh oddly eaten away, so that his cheekbone
is visible, the white socket of his left eye.
AMY (cont'd)
Oh, no. Oh, Jesus.
Jeff holds up his hand, silencing her. The Mayans stand
there, in the center of the clearing, watching. Mathias has
begun to rock slightly, that MOANING coming and going. Jeff
touches his shoulder, WHISPERS:
JEFF
Easy. All right? Easy and slow.
We'll stand up and we'll walk away.
We'll walk back up the hill.
The young man's T-shirt is stiff with dried blood. There are.
three slender arrows impaled in his chest.
MATHIAS
It's my brother.
JEFF
I know.
MATHIAS
They killed him.
Jeff nods, his hand still on Mathias's.shoulder; he squeezes.
JEFF
Shh. Not here. Up the hill, okay?
Mathias is struggling to control his breathing; the MOANS
keep coming. Finally, he manages a nod, and they both stand
up. Stacy and Amy are holding hands, looking stricken.
Stacy has started to CRY. Eric has his arm around her.
The Mayans keep their weapons raised. They watch in silence
as Jeff and the others turn to start back up the hill.
EXT. HILLTOP - DAY
Jeff and Mathias are at the top of the trail, staring down
toward the clearing.
41.
JEFF'S POV - THE BOTTOM OF THE BILL
More Mayans are appearing from the jungle. They're all
armed. The bald man sends them out along the clearing, some
in one direction, some 'the other.
BACK TO SCENE
Jeff and Mathias stand there, grim-faced, watching. Mathias
lifts his hands, stares at them. They've turned a deep, raw-
meat red, as if scarred. He flexes his fingers, wincing.
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING - DAY
Amy, Stacy, and Eric sit in the clearing, beside the shaft,
passing a bottle of water among themselves. Eric is
struggling to calm the girls:
ERIC
We can sneak past once the sun...-'
sets, I bet. You know? Just reep
by them in the dark?
Stacy and Amy hardly seem to hear him; they look dazed,
distraught. Eric passes the bottle to Stacy. A beat, then:
ERIC (cont'd)
And then there's the girl.
AMY
The girl?
ERIC
The one his brother met. What
happened to her?
Amy and Stacy are silent. Stacy lifts the water bottle to
her lips, but immediately lowers it, and starts to CRY again.
Amy takes her hand. Eric watches them, silent. Then:
ERIC (cont'd)
And the archaeologists. You think--
Stacy's crying deepens toward a SOB. Amy gives Eric a look.
AMY
Stop it, Eric.
ERIC
What?
42.
AMY
Just stop, okay? Stop talking.
Stacy struggles to collect herself, breathing deep. She
wipes at her face. Amy keeps stroking her hand.
Jeff and Mathias are approaching across the hilltop. Mathias
holding his burned-looking hands out in front of him. He
9 a nd Jeff crouch beside the others.
ERIC
What happened?
Jeff takes the bottle from Stacy. He pours a tiny bit of
water on Mathias's hands.
JEFF
There's something in the plants.
The sap--it burned his skin.
Mathias rubs at his hands with his shirt, grimacing. Amy
reaches to take the water back from Jeff. She starts to lift
the bottle to her mouth, but..Teff leans forward, grabs it.
JEFF (cont'd)
Don't. We need to save it.
AMY
But I'm thirsty.
JEFF
We all are.
AMY
So let's drink.
Jeff shakes his head, capping the bottle.
JEFF
We don't have that much. We need
to ration it.
(he glances up at the sky)
We'll have to figure out a way to
catch the rain.
Everyone but Amy peers up at the sky: it's a perfect,
cloudless blue. Amy remains focused on Jeff.
AMY
I'm hungover. I'm sunburned. I
lost my hat. I need some water.
43.
JEFF
AMY--
AMY
Why do you get to decide?
Jeff stares at her, considering this. Then he shrugs.
JEFF
Fine. Let's vote.
(he glances at the others)
But first you should understand
that each of us is gonna need half
a gallon of water a day, at a
minimum, to survive here. That's
two and a half gallons total, every
day. And right now, until it
rains, we don't have it. Okay?
Not even one day's worth.
(a beat)
Now who wants to give Amy more
water?
A long moment of silence. No one can meet Amy's eyes.
Finally, VERY QUIETLY:
STACY
Maybe we should just wait, honey.
ANY
Till?
Everyone looks toward Jeff.
JEFF
Another hour or so. Then we'll all
have a sip. Okay?
Amy can see that she has no choice. She gives a grudging
nod, and Jeff slides the bottle into his knapsack.
JEFF (cont'd)
We have to get organized. Now.
While we're still fresh. We'll
have to stay out of the sun, spend
as much time as possible in the
tents. We'll have to--
STACY
Can't we sneak away when it gets
dark? Eric said we--
44.
Jeff shakes his head, cutting her off. He waves across the
hilltop, toward where he and Mathias had been standing.
JEFF
They keep coming. More and more of
them. They're all armed, and the
bald one sends them out along the
clearing. They're surrounding us.
Amy, Stacy and Eric struggle to absorb this. Finally:
ERIC
Why don't they just kill us?
JEFF
It's got something to do with the
hill, I think. Once you step on
it, you're not allowed off.
Something like that. They won't
step on it themselves, but now that
we're here, they won't let us
leave. So we have to figure out a
way to survive till someone comes
and finds-us.
AMY
Who?
Jeff lifts one hand, palm-up, half a shrug.
JEFF
People'll start to worry when we
don't return home. Right? And
THEY'LL--
AMY
We're not supposed to leave till
Friday.
Jeff nods.
AMY (cont'd)
And they'll have to come searching.
Again, he nods.
AMY (cont'd)
So you're talking--what, a week?
.JEFF
Something like that.
Amy looks appalled; her voice JUMPS:
45.
AMY
We can't live here for a week,
Jeff.
JEFF
If we try to leave, they'll shoot
us. That's the one thing we know
for certain.
An electronic CHIRPING comes from the shaft: it sounds like
a cell phone ringing. Mathias turns his head, listening. No
one else notices it.
AMY
But what will we eat? How will we--
The RINGING comes again, silencing her. She glances toward
the shaft, not quite believing what she's hearing. It comes
a THIRD TIME, and they all stand up, step to the hole, peer
into its darkness. The RINGING comes yet again.
STACY
A cell phone.
AMY
It can't be--
JEFF
That's a cell phone, Amy.
Definitely.
.AMY
But there's no signal out here.
Eric can't get a signal.
Reflexively, Eric pulls out his phone, checks again:
nothing. There's another RING.
JEFF
It could be a different network.
Something local.
AMY
Way down in that hole? How could
it pick it up?
Still another RING.
ERIC
What else can it be?
46.
The RINGING falls SILENT. They all stand there, staring into
the hole. A long beat, then it RESUMES. Eric CLAPS his
hands, ecstatic. The others are starting to smile, too.
Mathias moves to the windlass. He unrolls some of the rope,
starts to wrap it around his chest. Jeff watches him.
Another RING.
The vine has taken root on the windlass:- the sawhorse, the
barrel, the rope. Jeff steps forward, begins to yank it off,
careful not to get the sap on his hands. He turns to Amy.
JEFF
There's a lamp in the orange tent.
See if you can find some matches,
too.
Amy hurries off toward the orange tent, vanishing inside.
There's a final RING, and then SILENCE again. Mathias is
knotting the rope tightly around his chest.
Amy returns, carrying an oil lamp, a box of matches.
Everyone watches as Jeff crouches to light the lamp. Then he
rises, turns toward Mathias, looks at him closely.
JEFF (cont'd)
You sure?
Mathias nods, takes the lamp, steps to the edge of the hole.
Jeff and Eric move to the windlass; they position themselves
at the hand crank, leaning into it, so the rope goes taut.
Mathias girds himself, steps out over the hole. He dangles
there for a moment, hanging beneath the sawhorse, the
windlass GROANING on its mount. Then Jeff and Eric begin to
reverse the crank, letting the rope slowly spool out.
Stacy and Amy stand beside the shaft, peering into it,
watching as Mathias begins his descent--ten feet, twenty
feet, thirty feet down, and still only darkness beneath him,
with no sign of the shaft's bottom.
The windlass CREAKS as it turns; Jeff and Eric strain against
it, sweating, muscles taut. Amy has turned from the shaft,
is watching: the rope as it slowly unspools from the barrel.
AMY
Jeff.
He turns to look, and she points at the rope, where it comes
off the windlass and angles up toward the little wheel
hanging from the sawhorse.
47.
AMY (cont'd)
The sap...
They'd cleared off most of the vine from the rope, but not
all of it. Some of these remaining tendrils have been
crushed as the windlass slowly unspools. Their sap is
darkening the rope in spots, eating into it.
AMY (cont'd)
I think it's--
Jeff immediately turns back to the crank, his voice URGENT:
JEFF
Pull him up !
Eric hasn't grasped what's happening. He hesitates.
JEFF (cont'd)
NOWT
Amy jumps forward to help, all three of them pushing at the
crank, getting in each other's way, the windlass CREAKING as
it begins to turn again, slowly reclaiming the rope. Stacy
remains beside the shaft, peering anxiously into it.
STACY'S POV - THE SHAFT
Mathias is twenty-five feet beneath us, just beginning to
bump his way upward, swaying back and forth. He stares up at
us, CONFUSED:
MATHIAS
What is it?
The rope beneath the sawhorse is being visibly eaten away,
its hemp unraveling.
BACK TO SCENE
Stacy turns toward the others, pointing, terrified.
STACY
IT'S--
The rope SWAPS. Jeff, Eric and Amy fall forward, the
windlass spinning wildly behind them, free'of its weight. A
long beat, then there's a distant, hollow-sounding THUMP,
followed instantly by the POP of the lamp shattering.
Stacy leans to peer into the shaft, her hand over her mouth.
48.
STACY'S POV - THE SHAFT
Darkness. Silence.
STACY (O.S.)
Mathias...?
Her voice ECHOES back at us. There's no response.
BACK TO SCENE
Jeff, Eric, and Amy join Stacy at the edge of the shaft, all
of them staring down into the darkness, looking horrified.
ERIC
Oh, Jesus. Oh, fuck.
AMY
Is he--
There's a GROAN from below, very faint, almost inaudible.
JEFF
He's moaning.
They listen for a beat, but there's only silence.
JEFF (cont'd)
I heard him moan.
The others don't seem so certain; Jeff turns to the girls.
JEFF (cont'd)
One of you will have to go.
AMY
Go?
Jeff nods, waving into the shaft.
JEFF
Down. We'll clear the vine off the
rope. And you can--
AMY
Why can't you? Or Eric?
JEFF
We have to work the crank. You
won't be strong enough.
49.
Amy and Stacy stare at each other; it's obvious neither of
them wants to go. Stacy is the one who finally gives in.
STACY
I can do it.
AMY
(RELIEVED)
You sure?
Stacy nods, but she doesn't look sure. She's hugging
herself; it seems as if she might start trembling. Before
anyone can speak, that GROANING comes from the shaft again,
louder this time, unmistakable. Jeff cups his hands, SHOUTS:
JEFF
Mathias...?
More SILENCE. Jeff turns to the girls.
JEFF (cont'd)
See if you can find a knife. And
another lamp.'
He waves them toward the tents; then he and Eric begin to
unspool the rope from the windlass, laying it out across the
clearing in long, looping circles.
EXT. CLEARING/BASE OF THE HILL - DAY
The Mayans keep coming: women now, too, bearing bundles on
their backs. They're setting up a campsite along the edge of
the jungle. The bald man stands in their midst, his hands on
his hips, staring silently up the hillside.
CU - OIL LAMP
The SCRATCH of a match being lit: Amy's hand comes into
frame, lifts the lamp's glass chimney, fires the wick.
JEFF (0.S.)
Just help him into the sling. Then
we'll pull him up.
The chimney is carefully replaced, as WE PULL BACK TO REVEAL:
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING - DAY
Amy is crouched, adjusting the lamp's flame. Jeff and Eric
have mended the rope.
50.
WE SEE the excised lengths of spoiled hemp, and the ragged-
looking knots on the rope itself, which has been spooled once
more around the windlass.
They've fashioned a sling at the rope's end. Jeff and Eric
are helping Stacy into it, pulling it over her head,
adjusting it under her armpits.
JEFF
Once we get him out, we'll drop the
rope back down and pull you up,
too.
Amy offers Stacy the lamp. Stacy is scared, yet struggling
not to show it. Her hands are trembling, and the lamp
rattles as she takes it. The boys are stepping toward the
windlass; Eric stops, glances back at her.
ERIC
You okay?
Stacy nods, but without much conviction. Eric steps toward
her, gives her a tight hug. He holds her eyes for a moment,
kisses her. Then he joins Jeff at the hand crank. They lean
against it, and the rope goes taut.
Stacy steps out into the open air over the shaft, the lamp in
her right hand. With her left hand, she lunges, grabs at the
sawhorse, clings tightly to it. Jeff glances toward her from
the hand crank.
JEFF
Ready?
She nods, but doesn't relinquish her grip on the sawhorse.
JEFF (cont'd)
You have to let go, Stacy.
For a moment, it doesn't seem like she'll be able to, but
then--with a visible act of will--she does, and they slowly.
begin to let the rope out, dropping her into the shaft.
ON STACY - IN THE SLING
She grips the sling with one hand, the lamp with the other.
Wooden supports have been hammered into the walls of the
shaft, buttressing the dirt. The vine clings to them, its
leaves and flowers paler than on the hillside above.
Stacy begins to swing, pendulum-like, as she descends. She
tries unsuccessfully to steady herself, then glances up.
51.
STACY'S POV - ABOVE HER
We're steadily dropping: thirty feet down, then forty. Amy
is at the edge of the shaft, peering in at us. She waves.
BACK TO SCENE
Stacy smiles up at her. She starts to wave back, but is too
scared to let go of the sling. She glances down.
STACY'S POV - BENEATH HER
The light is swaying back and forth with Stacy, and it causes
the shadows beneath us to jump and lurch. There's still no
sign of the bottom; the windlass continues to CREAK.
A beat, and then, very faintly, Mathias's dim shape starts to
emerge: his white tennis shoes, his pale blue T-shirt. The
lamp picks up bits of broken glass around his body.
BACK TO SCENE
Stacy lifts the lamp, peering downward, struggling to see
more clearly, and the sling suddenly jerks to a halt, making
her SQUAWK. She looks up.
STACY'S POV - ABOVE HER
The CREAKING has stopped. We're swinging slowly back and
forth. WE SEE Amy peering down toward us: a long way up,
almost seventy feet. A beat, then Jeff appears, too.
JEFF
Stacy?
His voice has an ECHO to it.
BACK TO SCENE - STACY
Her face is slick with sweat; it shines-in the lamp light.
STACY
What?
JEFF (O.S.).
It's the end of the rope.
52.
STACY
I'm not at the bottom.
JEFF (O.S.)
Can you see him?
Stacy looks down again, holding up the lamp, peering toward
Mathias's motionless body. She lifts her head.
STACY
A little.
JEFF (O.S.)
Is he conscious?
STACY
I can't tell. I don't think so.
JEFF (O.S.)
How far are you above him?
Stacy glances down once more, trying to quess,the distance.
STACY
Fifteen feet?
(a beat)
He's just lying there.
She lifts her head again, peers upward.
STACY'S POV - ABOVE HER
The top of the shaft is empty. Very faintly, WE HEAR Jeff
and the others talking, just their voices, not their words.
STACY (O.S.)
Jeff ... ?
Jeff's head reappears.
JEFF
We have to figure out a way to
lengthen the rope. We're gonna
pull you up.
He pulls his head away.
BACK TO SCENE - STACY
She's staring upward.
53.
STACY
Wait!
The rope has almost stopped its swaying.
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING
Jeff steps back to the hole, peers into it. So does Amy.
Eric waits by the windlass. The rope is completely played
out. Stacy SHOUTS, her voice ECHOING slightly:
STACY (O.S.)
I want to stay with him.
JEFF
You can't. We have to--
STACY (O.S.)
I'll jump.
Jeff glances at the others. Eric shakes his head. Jeff
CALLS down to her:.
JEFF
We might not be able to make it
longer. You'll be trapped.
STACY (O.S.)
What about him? We can't just
leave him.
JEFF
We'll pull you up. Then we'll see.
He starts toward the windlass again.
ON STACY - IN THE SLING
The rope jerks, and she begins to rise. She kicks her legs,
lifts her left arm over head, wrenches it free of the sling,
so that only her right arm remains hooked. She switches the
lamp from her right hand to her left, then slips completely
free of,the sling, the lamp fluttering out as she drops.
THE BOTTOM OF THE SHAFT
Almost totally dark, just a faint fall of light from above.
Mathias is a dim shape on the floor of the shaft. Stacy
lands beside him--heavily, awkwardly--the glass from his
shattered lamp CRUNCHING beneath her.
54.
She loses her balance, pitches forward, onto his body.
MATHIAS makes a terrible SHRIEKING sound, pure pain, flailing
his arms. Stacy struggles to right herself.
STACY
I'm sorry. Oh, God. I'm so sorry.
She pulls herself into a crouch, staring down at him through
the dimness, his SHRIEK fading to a steady MOANING.
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING
Jeff, Amy, and Eric have rushed to the shaft; they're peering
into it. There's only darkness beneath them. Eric SHOUTS:
ERIC
Stacy...?
Stacy's voice rises toward them, sounding. very FAR AWAY:
STACY (O.S.)
I didn't want him to be alone.
JEFF
What happened to the lamp?
STACY (O.S.)
It blew out.
Jeff turns from the shaft, picks up the box of matches. He
yanks off his shirt, ties the box inside it, then steps back
to the edge of the hole. He CALLS down to Stacy:
JEFF
I'm dropping the matches. Okay?
STACY (O.S.)
Okay.
Jeff holds the knotted bundle over the shaft, lets it go. It
falls into the darkness. A long beat, and then, very softly,
WE HEAR the thump as it lands.
STACY (O.S.) (cont'd)
Got it.
The three of them stare into the hole, waiting for the light.
55.
THE BOTTOM OF THE SHAFT
There's the RASP of a match, its flickering flame, then the
stronger illumination of the lamp as Stacy lights its wick.
Mathias lies on his back before her, silent now, motionless,
his eyes shut. Stacy bends toward him, WHISPERS:
STACY
Mathias...?
He doesn't respond; it's hard to tell if he's conscious.
Stacy lifts the lamp, peers about the shaft. The vine has
taken root even at this depth, its flowers and leaves pale to
the point of translucence.
Beyond Mathias, there's an opening in the dirt wall, another
shaft cutting perpendicularly into the earth. Its roof is
supported by a stone archway, intricately carved. Stacy
rises, as if to investigate, but then winces, nearly falls.
She peers down at her right leg. A large piece of glass is
imbedded there, just beneath her knee. it's the size of a
playing card, gently concave,'dark with her blood. She
reaches and, grimacing, pulls it from her body.
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING
Jeff is at the windlass, hurriedly cranking the rope back up.
Eric and Amy stand watching.
JEFF
We need fifteen feet. Twenty to be
safe.
No one speaks. The windlass turns with that steady CREAKING,
but it's higher-pitched now, with no weight on the rope.
JEFF (cont'd)
Come on. Think. How can we--
ERIC
The clothes? From the backpacks?
We could knot them together?
JEFF
Would they hold?
Eric frowns, uncertain. Jeff finishes with the rope, stands
there, catching his breath. Stacy's,voice rises toward them
from the shaft:
56.
STACY (O.S.)
I cut my knee.
Eric hurries to the shaft, followed by Jeff and Amy. They
peer over its edge, toward Stacy, so far beneath them, in her
flickering circle of lamp light.
ERIC
Bad?
STACY
My shoe's full of blood.
JEFF
Put pressure on it. Use my shirt.
They all stare down at her, waiting.
TOE BOTTOM OF THE SHAFT
Stacy is crouched beside Mathias, pressing Jeff's T-shirt to
her wound. Her khakis and tennis shoe are dark with blood;
there's a lot of it. She isn't watching Mathias; he startles
her when he opens his eyes and speaks:
MATHIAS
My...legs...
His voice is faint and RASPY; we can hear his pain in it.
Stacy leans toward him, tries to smile reassuringly.
STACY
Hey...
MATHIAS
Can't... move ...my...legs...
Stacy turns to look: his legs are lying at an odd angle, as
if he were a doll that had been carelessly tossed there.
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING
Jeff, Eric and Amy, still watching; Jeff turns to the others.
JEFF
What about the tents? We could
take one down, cut the nylon into
strips.
Eric and Amy glance toward the tents, debating.
57.
ERIC
Would it be strong enough?
JEFF
we can braid them--three strips for
each section. Then knot the
sections together, for strength.
Before either of them can respond, Stacy's voice emerges from
the shaft, sounding SCARED:
STACY (O.S.)
I think he broke his back.
They fall silent, staring down at her.
STACY (O.S.) (cont'd)
He can't move his legs. And it
smells.
JEFF
Smells?
STACY (O.S.)
Like he lost his bowels. His
bladder.
AMY
(very quietly)
Oh no. Please no.
Jeff turns to her.
JEFF
How can we make a backboard?
Amy starts to shake her head, looking horrified.
AMY
No, Jeff. No way. We can't move
him.
JEFF
One of the frames from the
backpacks? And the tent poles.
There's tape in the orange tent.
He doesn't wait for a response; he leans over the shaft,
SHOUTS:
JEFF (cont'd)
We have to builda backboard,
Stacy. It might take a while.
58.
There's a long hesitation, as if Stacy is searching for some
alternative. Then, still sounding FRIGHTENED and FARAWAY:
STACY (O.S.)
Okay.
Amy is shaking her head, growing FRANTIC:
AMY
We'll make it worse. Well jostle
him, and he'll--
Jeff turns toward her, with a hint of EXASPERATION:
JEFF
We can't just leave him down there.
You know that, don't you?
She starts to back away, toward the edge of the clearing.
AMY
we have to tell them.
JEFF
Who?
AMY
The Mayans. We have to tell them
what's happened.
Jeff gives her an incredulous look. She keeps retreating;
she's almost at the path.
AMY (cont'd)
They can send for help.
JEFF
They're not gonna---
AMY
We have to may. We have to--
She spins, starts off at a run, vanishing down the trail.
Jeff calls after her, SHOUTING:
JEFF
Amy!
But she's gone. Jeff turns to Eric.
JEFF (cont'd)
Stay here.
59.
And then he, too, is running.
EXT. CLEARING/BASE OF THE HILL - DAY
The Mayans have established their campsite on the edge of the
jungle. Two women are beside a campfire, plucking a pair of
chickens. WE SEE other campsites in the distance, other
campfires, hugging the jungle's margin, surrounding the hill.
Three men sit in the center of the clearing, facing the
hillside, their bows in their laps. They rise suddenly,
peering up the trail. The women pause in their labor, also
staring. The campsite goes QUIET.
THE MAYANS' POV - UP THE HILL
Amy is sprinting toward us down the trail. Jeff is ten yards
behind her, also running.
BACK TO SCENE
The three Mayans nock arrows. Two other men step forward to
join them. One has a bow; the other is the bald Mayan, with
the pistol. He unholsters it, and--as Amy reaches the bottom
of the trail--raises it, aiming at her chest.
Amy stops just short of the clearing: sweating, breathless,
scared-looking. She lifts her hands, palms-up, beseeching.
AMY
Help us. Please. Someone's been
hurt. He--
Jeff comes to a halt, five feet behind her.
JEFF
They can't understand you.
She turns, her voice quickened with PANIC:
AMY
Say it in Spanish. Tell them he--
JEFF
They don't speak Spanish.
AMY
Try it. You have to try.
60.
She spins back toward the Mayans, takes a step into the
clearing. The bald man SHOUTS at her, a single short
sentence in MAYAN. Amy holds out her hands to him.
AMY (cont'd)
Espanol? Habla Espanol?
Jeff steps forward, grabs her elbow.
JEFF
They killed Henrich. Why would-
Amy tries to tug free, but he won't let her. She starts to
SHOUT at the Mayans:
AMY
Help usi We need help!
The Mayans just stare at her, their weapons raised, their
faces expressionless. one of them is much younger than the
others, almost a boy. He says something in MAYAN to the bald
man, and the bald man shakes his head.
Amy begins to CRY. Jeff pulls at her elbow.
JEFF
We have to get back.
Amy turns toward him, her face smeared with tears.
AMY
I didn't want to come. I told you
we shouldn't. I said--
Jeff tightens his grip on her arm, gives her a little shake,
as if to wake her up.
JEFF
Listen to me. Mathias needs our
help. Right now. He--
AMY
We shouldn't even be here. Why did
you say we'd come?
(she wipes at her tears)
You have to do something.
(rising toward a shout)
You have to! It's your fault.
It's all your--
Jeff shakes her again, more roughly, his voice like a slap:
61.
JEFF
YD-q stepped onto the hill.
Amy stares at him, startled into silence.
JEFF (cont'd)
They wouldn't have forced us up it
if you hadn't.
He holds her eyes, making sure she understands. Then:
JEFF (cont'd)
Now let's go, okay?
He starts to pull her back toward the trail. She allows
herself to be led; she's begun to CRY again:
AMY
I didn't know. I just--
She's growing increasingly upset, almost SOBBING. She tries
to turn back toward the Mayans again, but Jeff won't let her.
AMY (cont'd)
They have to help us.
JEFF
They're not going to.
AMY
They have to.
She wrenches herself free, stumbles, falls into the vines
beside the trail. Jeff reaches for her, but she kicks away
from him, grabbing at the vines, scrambling to her feet.
As she rises, she yanks up a tendril, a clot of earth hanging
from its roots. She SCREAMS, spinning toward the clearing---
AMY (cont'd)
WHY WON'T YOU FUCKING HELP US?
--and throws the tendril at the Mayans. They scramble
backward, with surprising panic, SHOUTING. The youngest of
them is too slow: the length of vine hits him in the leg.
He stares down at the tendril in shock.
The others back hurriedly away from him. Two of them
continue to point their weapons at Amy, but the bald man and
one of the other bowmen are aiming at the young Mayan now.
There's SHOUTING from the tree line. The entire campsite is
on its feet; a woman begins to SCREAM.
62.
She's in her,forties, short and stout, and she starts forward
into the clearing, arms stretched toward the young Mayan.
Two of the other women grab her, hold her back.
The bald Mayan starts to ADDRESS the young man, pointing up
the hillside. The short woman keeps SCREAMING, flailing,
trying to break free. The young Mayan looks at her, then at
the bald man. He speaks in MAYAN, a brief burst of words.
The bald man shakes his head, points up the hill again, his
pistol aimed at the young man's chest. The short woman is
WAILING, eyes shut. The young Mayan takes a step toward her,
CALLING what seems to be her name.
The bald man SHOUTS at him, but the young Mayan ignores him,
takes a second step, then a third. The bowmen are all aiming
at him now, and suddenly, everyone seems to be YELLING.
The young Mayan takes a fifth step, holding out his arms
toward the WAILING woman, CALLING to her. The bald man
FIRES, shooting him in the head. At the same instant, the
bowmen let their arrows fly, the shafts THUMPING into the
young man's chest, burying themselves to the fletches.
The clearing goes still; the only sound is the woman's steady
WAILING. Then the bald man swings his pistol toward Amy and
Jeffs he SHOUTS in MAYAN at them. The other Mayans nock
fresh arrows, draw their bows.
Jeff takes a step backward, half-raising his hands. Amy just
stands there, her eyes on the young Mayan's motionless body.
JEFF
AMY...
(no reaction)
AY.
She turns, finally. She looks horrified, stupefied; her
hands are burned a deep red from the vine's sap. Jeff waves
her up the hill. She stares at him for another beat, and
then, without a word, starts to climb the trail.
Jeff hesitates, watching the Mayans: the bloodied corpse,
the raised weapons, the KEENING woman. Then he, too, turns
and hurries off up the trail.
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING - DAY
Amy, Jeff, and Eric have taken down the blue tent; its
contents lie tumbled in a pile in the little clearing. All
three of them look sun struck, sweat-stained, worn out.
63.
Eric is using a knife to cut long strips from the blue nylon.
Amy is braiding three of the strips together. Jeff has one
of the backpack frames, the roll of duct tape, and some of
the poles from the tent; he's making a backboard.
ERIC
Maybe we could use it as a weapon,
you know? Wrap it around some
stones or something. And throw
them, like grenades. I mean, if
they're that scared of it--
Jeff tears off a piece of tape with his teeth.
JEFF
They have guns, Eric. And bows.
What do you think they'll do if we
start throwing the vine at them?
Eric is silenced by this. He cuts another long strip of
nylon, passes it to Amy. But he can't seem to stop himself
from talking:
ERIC.
So you figure it's, what? Sacred
or something? Like, you touch it
and you have to die?
Amy begins to cry suddenly--a SOB, quickly suppressed. Jeff
and Eric both turn to look at her. The vine's sap has
scarred her hands and arms almost to the elbows. She wipes
her eyes, takes a deep breath, shakes her head.
AMY
I'm okay.
But she doesn't look it. Jeff removes his hat, holds it out.
Amy just stares at it; he nods for her to take it.
JEFF
Come on. You're burning.
She reaches for the hat, puts it on, then wipes at her eyes
again. Jeff leans forward, touches her.
JEFF (cont'd)
We're gonna get through this. All
right? We'll pull them up. And
then ...I don't know--we'll figure
things out. it has to rain at some
point. And maybe we can snare some
birds. Or--
64.
The electronic RINGING sounds once more from the bottom of
the shaft. They all turn to stare.
THE BOTTOM OF THE SHAFT
The oil lamp has begun to smoke, adding a haze to the light.
Stacy is beside Mathias, holding his hand. She's still
pressing Jeff's shirt to her wound. The RING sounds again.
Mathias turns his head, peers toward the shaft cut into the
dirt wall to his left: that's where it's coming from. Stacy
reaches to pick up the lamp, rises to her feet. Another
RING. Jeff SHOUTS down from above:
JEFF (O.S.)
Stacy...?
Stacy ignores him; she limps around Mathias, starts toward
the opening. She hesitates at the mouth of the shaft,
lifting her lamp to see better. There's another RING.
-STACY'S POV -- INTO THE SHAFT
The lamp's light doesn't penetrate very far, but WE can SEE
that the vine has taken root here with great avidity: it
grows thickly on the walls, floor and roof. There's a steady
draft coming toward us, and the plant shifts in it, RUSTLING.
BACK TO SCENE
Stacy stands there, looking scared. There's another RING.
JEFF (O.S.)
Can you see it?
Stacy lifts her head, SHOUTS:
STACY
No.
She keeps peering into the shadows, not moving. The ringing
falls SILENT. Stacy turns, hobbles back toward Mathias, and
the light shudders, dims for a moment. She squints at it:
the oil is nearly gone. She SHOUTS up to the others:
STACY (cont'd)
The lamp's almost out of oil.
JEFF (O.S.)
Then blow it out.
65.
Stacy seems terrified by this.
STACY
Blow it out?
JEFF (0.5.)
We'll need it when we come down.
To get him on the backboard.
Stacy drops into a crouch beside Mathias, sets the lamp down
before her, stares at it. She clearly doesn't want to blow
it out. Mathias watches her, silent.
JEFF (O.S.) (cont'd)
All right?
Stacy leans forward, lifts the lamp's glass chimney, blows
out the flame, dropping the shaft into darkness.
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING - DUSK
The.sun is just touching the horizon, the sky turning red.
Th ey've tied the braids of nylon onto the rope, attached the
finished backboard to them. It rests beside the shaft,
padded with one-of the archaeologist's sleeping bags.
Jeff and Eric remove their belts, drop them onto the
backboard. They step to the windlass, lean against its hand
crank, the rope going taut. Amy stands by the shaft,
gathering her courage. Then she reaches for the backboard.
THE BOTTOM OF THE SHAFT
Mathias and Stacy are two dim shapes in the darkness. The
windlass begins its CREAKING. A long beat, and then:
AMY (O.S.)
Stacy?
STACY
What?
AMY -(0.5.)
Light the lamp!
Stacy shifts; once again, there's the RASP of a match, then
the stronger illumination of the lamp as she lights its wick.
Mathias's eyes are shut; there's a deep RAGGEDNESS to his
breathing. Stacy looks upward.
66.
STACY'S POV - ABOVE HER
The backboard is dropping toward us. Above it, the light is
already fading from the sky.
BACK TO SCENE
Stacy rises to her feet, lifting the lamp.
ON AMY - CROUCHING ON THE BACKBOARD
She's dropping slowly down the shaft, clenching the nylon
braids, her eyes tightly shut: terrified. The backboard
sways, pendulum-like, as it descends, almost touching the
vine-covered walls.
THE BOTTOM OF THE SHAFT
When the backboard comes within reach, Stacy grabs it,
pulling it to the-right, so that it will come to rest at
Mathias's side. But then, with three feet still to go, it
jerks to a halt, almost toppling Amy from her perch.
A beat, and Jeff's voice comes toward them from above:
JEFF (O.S.)
Have you reached them?
AMY
Almost. A few more feet.
JEFF (O.S.}
How many?
Amy leans, peers down at Mathias's broken body.
AMY
I don't know. Three?
JEFF (O.S.}
we're out of rope.
(a beat)
Can you still do it?
Amy looks at Stacy; neither speaks. Finally, QUIETLY:
STACY
We'll have to send it back up, I
guess.
67.
Amy doesn't answer. She shifts her weight, and the backboard
starts to swing. Stacy reaches to steady it.
STACY (cont'd)
Blow out the lamp. Wait here in
the dark.
Amy is silent, staring down at Mathias's still form; it's
obvious she doesn't want to do this.
STACY (cont'd)
Or we could try to lift him, maybe.
More silence. Stacy persists:
STACY (cont'd)
One of us at his shoulders. The
other his feet.
AMY
If he twists--
STACY
It's only a few feet.
/"- Once more, Amy is silent. Stacy lifts the lamp, examining
it, the diminishing pool of oil.
STACY (cont'.d)
We have to decide. The light's not
going to last.
Jeff's voice comes toward them from above again:
JEFF (O.S.)
Amy...?
They both look up; the sky has grown too dark to see him.
Amy hesitates one beat more, then YELLS:
AMY
We're gonna try itt
She climbs off the backboard, crouches beside Mathias. Stacy
sets down the lamp.
AMY (cont'd)
Mathias...?
She touches his shoulder, and he opens his eyes, stares at
her. He looks haggard, ashen.
10111..
68.
AMY (cont'd)
We're going to lift you, okay?
We're going to hoist you up and
out.
Mathias stares from her to the backboard to Stacy. He shuts
his eyes. Amy stands up, drags the belts off the backboard,
drops them next to the lamp. She positions herself behind
Mathias's head; Stacy hobbles to his feet, limping.
AMY (cont'd)
His hips.
Stacy hesitates, looking doubtful.
STACY
You sure?
AMY
If you lift from his feet, he'll
bend at the waist.
STACY
But if I lift at his hips, won't he
arch his back?
They both stare down at Mathis, imagining these two different
scenarios. Amy glances toward the lamp, its dwindling oil.
AMY
His knees.
Stacy crouches by Mathias's knees, a little off balance,
favoring her wounded leg. Amy bends, sliding her hands under
his shoulders. Mathias GROANS, and Stacy starts to pull
away, but Amy shakes her head.
AMY (cont'd)
Quickly. On three.
They count together:
STACY AND AMY
One ... two.-,.three.
They lift, and Mathias immediately starts to SCREAM. His
body sags at the waist; he begins to thrash his arms. Stacy
starts to set him down, but Amy shakes her head, SHOUTS:
AMY
No!
69.
Stacy's wounded leg is hindering her; she can't keep up with
Amy. Mathias's shoulders are level with the backboard, but
his knees are still a good foot beneath it. He keeps
SCREAMING. The bend at his waist increases.
AMY (cont'd)
Lift I
Stacy tries to hoist him higher, lunging, his torso twisting,
his SCREAMS going LOUDER. His right arm, hits the backboard,
sends it swinging. The girls toss him toward it.
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING - NIGHT
The sun has set. There's a half moon, giving us just enough
light to dimly see Eric and Jeff peering into the shaft.
Mathias's SCREAMS echo up toward them.
THE BOTTOM OF THE SHAFT - NIGHT
Mathias has fallen silent. He lies on the backboard, eyes
clenched, sweat beading his forehead.
Stacy is trying not to cry. She watches Amy buckle the two
belts together, then drape them over Mathias's chest, knot
them tight. Amy strips off her own belt, gestures for Stacy
to do the same. She buckles these together, too.
STACY
I have to pee.
She limps toward the wall, lowers her pants, gingerly
crouches. She stares toward the other shaft as she pees:
its stone archway, the shifting shadows, the vine rustling
softly in the steady draught.
Amy binds Mathias at his thighs. She WHISPERS to him:
AMY
You okay?
She waits, but he doesn't respond. His eyes remain shut.
Stacy rises, buttoning her pants, limps back toward Amy.
She's on the edge of tears, is working hard to fight them
off. Amy lifts her head, SHOUTS up to Jeff:
AMY (cont'd)
Pull him up!
70.
A moment's pause, then the windlass begins to CREAK once
more. The backboard slowly rises, swaying gently. They
watch it climb away from them. Amy holds out her-hand.
ANY (cont'd)
Here.
Stacy just stares at her, not understanding. Amy nods at the
lamp: the oil is gone.
AMY (cont'd)
It's gonna go out.
And it's true: as Stacy reaches for Amy's hand, the light
suddenly flickers, dims, drops them into darkness.
EXT. CLEARING/BASE OF THE HILL - NIGHT
The Mayans are settling into sleep at their campsite. Three
of the men remain on guard duty in the clearing, facing the
hillside, their backs to the fire. The young Mayan's corpse
still lies in the dirt, fifteen feet in front of them. The
firelight throws shadows across his bloodied body.
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING - NIGHT'
The windlass CREAKS loudly as Eric and Jeff work to wind in
the rope. Stacy has already been pulled up from the hole.
She's sitting beside Mathias, who's lying on the backboard,
on the edge of the clearing, by the orange tent.
Amy emerges from the shaft, dangling beneath the sawhorse.
Jeff holds the rope taut while Eric steps to the hole, pulls
Amy toward him. Stacy watches from beside the backboard.
Mathias's eyes are shut, his breathing ROUGH with phlegm.
No one speaks. Once Amy is free of the sling, they all move
to the backboard. Eric takes Stacy's-hand; Jeff crouches,
starts to undo the belts.
ERIC
Shouldn't we carry him into the
tent first?
Jeff pulls free the first belt, shifts to the second one.
JEFF
We can't.
ERIC
Because?
71.
JEFF
He's gonna keep leaking urine.
AMY
But we can't just leave him out in
the open.
JEFF
We'll rig a shelter. With what's
left of the blue tent.
Jeff pulls the second belt free. Mathias's eyes remain shut.
JEFF (cont'd)
One of us should stay on watch
while the others sleep. Two hour
shifts.
He reaches for his knapsack, unzips it. He pulls out a liter
bottle of water.
JEFF (cont'd)
.Once it's light, we'll figure out
how much water we have, and how to
ration it. Food, too. For now, I
think we should each just take a
single swig.
He uncaps the bottle, hands it to Amy. He watches her drink
from it. When she's done, she passes it to Stacy.
JEFF (cont'd)
Eric and I'll build the shelter,.
then I'll take the first shift.
You two should try to sleep.
Stacy takes her single sip, passes the bottle to Eric.
INT. ORANGE TENT - NIGHT
Stacy and Amy have pushed the camping supplies into a pile
along the tent's rear wall. Stacy pulls off her pants, bends
to examine her wound in the darkness. Amy is beside her,
lying on her side. A beat of silence. Then, WHISPERING:
STACY
Amy?
what?
72.
STACY
We shouldn't have lifted him,
should we?
Amy reaches, pats Stacy's hand.
AMY
Shh.
STACY
He's never gonna walk again.. He's--
AMY
Don't, Stacy. Don't talk. It'll
only make things worse.
Stacy falls silent.
AMY (cont'd)
Just go to sleep, okay? Let's try
to go to sleep.
Stacy lies down next to Amy, in her-underwear and T-shirt.
They huddle close together in the darkness.
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING - NIGHT
Eric is building a tiny lean-to for Mathias, using the duct
tape, the leftover nylon and poles from the blue tent. Jeff
crouches over the backboard. He starts to cut Mathias's
jeans off him with the knife. Mathias's eyes remain shut.
ERIC
What're you doing?
JEFF
We have to keep him clean.
He slices the jeans, from ankle to hip, first one leg, then
the other, struggling not to jostle Mathias's body.
JEFF (cont'd)
That's how it'll happen, I think.
if it does.
ERIC
If what does?
Jeff slides the soiled strips of-denim out from under
Mathias's body, tosses them aside. He LOWERS his voice:.
73.
JEFF
If he dies here. infection. Blood
poisoning--something like that.
Eric seems startled by this.
ERIC
You think he's gonna die?
JEFF
(he shrugs)
His back is broken. Who knows what
else.
Eric is silent, motionless, the tape in his hand. Mathias's
BREATHING seems to be getting steadily worse. Jeff bends to
cut off his boxers, first one leg, then the other. He tosses
the soiled fabric aside.
JEFF (cont'd)
We should go back down in the
morning.
ERIC
Down?
JEFF
Into the shaft. Try to find the
phone again.
ERIC
There's no oil for the lamp.
Jeff waves toward the orange tent.
JEFF
There's tequila. We could pour it
on some of the clothes, tie them
around one of these poles, make a
torch.
A sleeping bag is lying in the clearing among the strips of
nylon and aluminum poles. Jeff steps over to pick it up.
JEFF (cont'd)
Without the phone, he's dead. If
we have to wait for someone to come
searching...
He shakes his head. Then he leans forward and carefully
drapes the sleeping bag across Mathias's broken body.
74.
INT. ORANGE TENT - DAWN
The orange nylon is just starting to glow with the sun's
arrival. Stacy and Eric lie beneath one of the sleeping
bags, Eric's head on her shoulder. Jeff lies curled on his
side, a few feet away, still shirtless.
Jeff's eyes open. He sits up, stares about, then reaches for
one of the backpacks. He quietly digs through it till he
finds a T-shirt. He sniffs at it, then pulls it on.
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING - DAWN
Mathias lies on his backboard, eyes shut, his breathing still
sounding THICK WITH PHLEGM. Amy sits beside him, hunched
into herself, half drowsing. She lifts her head as Jeff
emerges from the tent, stares at him.
JEFF
How is he?
AMY
The same.
JEFF
And you?
AMY
(she shrugs)
Tired. Thirsty. Hungry.
JEFF
Once the others are up, we'll have
some water.
His face is stubbled, sweat-stained. He looks ragged; they
both do. He steps to the opposite side of the clearing,
unzips, begins to urinate, with his back to Amy.
JEFF'S POV - ACROSS THE HILLTOP
The vine covers everything, tangled and matted, with those
odd, knoll-like growths scattered among it. The nearest-is
thirty feet away. its leaves are swaying slightly in a faint
breeze, and WE SEE a flash of yellowish white beneath them.
75.
BACK TO SCENE
Jeff finishes, shakes, zips, then steps out into the vine,
wading toward the tiny mound. Amy remains beside the
backboard; she watches him crouch, part the tendrils, stare.
ANY
What is it?
Jeff gestures for her to approach. When she reaches him, he
leans forward, pulls aside the vines. WE SEE a man's skull,
a loose tumble of bones. Amy INHALES sharply, recoiling.
JEFF
Bodies. All of them.
He waves across the hilltop, at the other mounds: there are
more than a dozen. Amy takes them in. The light is gaining
strength, the green leaves seeming to shine in it, the red
flowers to glow. Jeff's face assumes a puzzled expression.
JEFF (cont'd)
Where are the birds?
AMY
Birds?
JEFF
it's dawn--there should be birds.
They both stare off across the hillside: so quiet, so still.
INT. ORANGE TENT - DAY
Stacy opens her eyes. She lies there, struggling to orient
herself, with Eric on her shoulder. She starts to roll onto
her side, then stops, looking confused.
She reaches under the sleeping bag, toward her leg, her
confusion changing to alarm. She site up, jarring Eric
awake, and throws back the sleeping bag.
ERIC
(BEFUDDLED)
What...?
The vine has grown dramatically during the night, reaching
out from the pile of supplies at the rear of the tent to
spread across Stacy's right leg, almost to her waist. She
sits up, tries to push it off her.
76.
STACY
Oh my god...
The vine is clinging to her; she has to tear it, the sap
shining slickly on her hands, visibly beginning to burn the
skin. She yanks at the tendrils, tossing them aside.
STACY (cont'd)
Help me.
Eric sits up, still only half-awake. He just stares.
STACY (cont'd).
It's inside me...
It's true: one of the tendrils has pushed its way into the
wound on her leg, widening it, thrusting itself a full three
inches into her body, like a thick finger.
STACY (cont.'d)
Oh, Jesus--it's fucking inside me.
She tries to pull the tendril out, but she's too panicky, too
quick, and the vine breaks, leaving a piece of itself snagged
under her skin. Stacy starts to SCREAM:
STACY (cont'd)
Get the knifes
Eric is too shocked to stir. He's staring down at her leg,
at the bulge beneath her skin: it looks as if it's moving.
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING - DAY
Stacy's SCREAMING continues. Jeff and Amy are on their feet,
hurrying across the clearing. Mathias has opened his eyes.
STACY (O.S.)
Get the knife!
Jeff bends, scoops up the knife, starts toward the tent. He
waves toward Mathias.
JEFF
Stay with him.
Then he ducks in through the tent's flap.
77.
INT. ORANGE TENT - DAY
Eric is beside Stacy, trying to calm her; she's started to
CRY. Her hands and wrists have turned a dark red, and the
tendril is inside her leg, just to the left of her shin,
running parallel to it. Jeff steps. toward them.
JEFF
What is it?
ERIC
The vine. It's inside her.
Stacy points to her wound, SOBBING now:
STACY
Cut it out. You gotta cut it out.
JEFF
The blade's dirty. We should--
Stacy starts shaking her head, FRANTIC:
STACY
It's moving! Can't you see?
Jeff stares at the bulge, hesitating. Then it moves,
unquestionably: contracting and expanding, like a worm.
Stacy SHRIEKS:
STACY (cont'd)
Jeff!
Be gives in, crouching over her leg.
JEFF
It's gonna hurt.
STACY
Please. Hurry.
He leans forward, slices into the skin above the bulge.
Stacy CRIES OUT, starts to jerk away, but Jeff presses down
on her leg, holding her still. He reaches into her wound
with his finger, digs out the piece of vine, tosses it aside.
JEFF
Get me a shirt or something.
He gestures toward the backpacks, and Eric unzips one of
them, starts to dig through it.
78.
He pulls out a T-shirt, hands it to Jeff. Jeff wads it up,
uses it to put pressure on the incision, staunching the flow
of blood.
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING - DAY
Amy is crouched by the backboard, watching the tent, trying
to grasp what's happening. Mathias startles her by speaking:
MATHIAS
Something's... wrong...
His voice is thick-sounding, very faint. Amy tries to soothe
him; she puts her hand on his shoulder.
AMY
It's okay. It's just--
MATHIAS
my-legs...
AMY
I know. You're hurt. But we're.,
gonna get you--
MATHIAS
Show ...me...
He's struggling to rise, straining upward. Amy tries to stop
him, pressing down on his shoulder.
AMY
Shh.
But he fights her; he won't be quieted:
MATHIAS.
Show-me...
So she leans, lifts the sleeping bag off him. His lower legs
are completely covered by the flowering vine, from the knees
down. Amy and Mathias both stare in surprise. Then Amy
reaches, starts to yank the tendrils free.
INT. ORANGE TENT - DAY
Jeff is leaning forward, pressing the balled-up T-shirt
against Stacy's wound, the blood darkening the fabric. Stacy
is lying there, her eyes shut, fists clenched.
STACY
I can still feel it.
79.
Jeff shakes his head.
JEFF
I got it out.
STACY
I can feel it moving.
JEFF
That's just your body. Your muscle
twitching.
STACY
BUT�
ERIC
It's on our clothes.
Stacy and Jeff both glance at him. There's a faint, almost
fungus-like green growing on his shirt, an infantile version
of the vine covering the hillside all around them. It's on
all of them: their shirts, their pants, their shoes.
Before any of them can respond to this development, Amy
starts to CALL from the clearing, sounding SCARED:
AMY (O.S.)
Jeff...?
They all turn toward the flap. Mathias begins to SCREAM.
Amy's voice JUMPS in volume:
AMY (O.S.) (cont'd)
of .I
Jeff rises, moves toward the flap.
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING - DAY
Amy is crouched over Mathias, frantically yanking the vines
off him. Mathias is struggling impotently to sit up. He
continues to SCREAM, staring down at his legs.
Jeff emerges-from the tent, hurries to help Amy, both of them
tearing at the vine, a flash of white appearing beneath the
green, shiny and bright: bones. Mathias's legs have been
stripped completely clean of flesh from the knee down.
As they keep pulling the tendrils free, blood starts to drip
from Mathias's knees, slowly at first, but then suddenly
spurting, spraying them: their chests, their faces. Amy
jerks backward, GAGGING, RETCHING.
80.
She jumps up, takes three steps into the center of the
clearing, and VOMITS, her hands on her knees. She wipes at
the blood on her face, COUGHS, spits, then bends again,
another long ribbon of puke slipping free of her.
Mathias continues to SCREAM and thrash. Jeff reaches for the
belts, lying in the dirt beside the backboard. He quickly
ties first one then another around Mathias's legs, twisting
them into tourniquets, cutting off the flow of blood.
Stacy and Eric stoop out through the tent's flap: they stand
there staring, struggling to grasp what's happened. Stacy is
in her underwear and T-shirt, blood still seeping down her
leg. Amy turns to face them.
Mathias is WEEPING now, his eyes shut. The hemorrhaging has
stopped; blood lies in puddles across the backboard. Jeff is
covered with it. And then there are the bones: so white, so
wet-looking, from the knees down, nothing but bone.
Suddenly, Stacy starts to SCREAM, pointing past Amy, at the
dirt beyond her. They all turn to look.
The vine is in motion, a long tendril slipping into the
clearing, moving snakelike toward the puddle of vomit at
Amy's feet. Amy backs quickly away.
A second tendril emerges from the low wall of green around
the clearing, then a third. They move rapidly, as if racing
each other; both of them slipping alongside the first into
the little pool of vomit.
The tendrils absorb the puke, draining it, until all that's
left is a damp shadow on the rocky soil. Then they withdraw
back across the clearing, silently retreating into the larger
mass of green. Stacy keeps SCREAMING.
EXT. CLEARING/BASE OF THE HILL - DAY
Faintly, from up the hill, WE HEAR Stacy's screams. The
Mayans are finishing their morning meal. They eat in
silence, showing no reaction to the sound. In the clearing,
the young Mayan's corpse is buried beneath a thick growth of
vine.
EXT.. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING - DAY
The four of them are sitting by the orange tent. Jeff and
Amy are still spattered and smeared with Mathias's blood;
Stacy is still in her underwear.
81.
e.-
Jeff is inventorying their food and water. The others watch
as he puts the perishables in a separate pile: two bananas,
a plastic bag ofgrapes going brown, an orange, a soggy tuna
fish sandwich.
JEFF
They must've dug it up.
ANY
Who?
He arranges the rest of the food in a second pile: a bag of
pretzels, a can of nuts, two protein bars, a box of raisins.
JEFF
The miners.
He puts the liquids in a third pile: three bottles of water,
two of iced tea, a can of Coke. That's all there is.
JEFF (cont'd)
And then the Mayans cleared the
jungle around the hill, I guess.
To keep it quarantined. That's why
they won't let us leave, don't you
think? They're afraid we'll spread
it?
The others are silent. Jeff reaches for the tuna fish
sandwich. He carefully unwraps it.
JEFF (cont'd)
Or else...I don't know. Maybe it's
something religious? And we're
some sort of sacrifice?
He glances at the others, but once again no one responds.
They all look dazed: knocked back into themselves. Jeff
picks up the knife, wipes it on his jeans.
JEFF (cont'd)
They must've done the same thing
with the archaeologists. And
Henrich. Trapped them here. Like
us.
He cuts the sandwich into four equal sections.
JEFF (cont'd)
And then somehow it killed them
off. All of them. one by one.
This is too much for Eric; he.leaps up, looking panicky.
82.
J011
ERIC
We have to find the phone. We have
to go back down and--
Jeff makes a calming motion.
JEFF
We'll eat first. Drink some water.
We have to stay calm. Not rush at
things.
He holds out one of the tiny squares of sandwich. Eric
hesitates, then accepts it, dropping back into a crouch.
Jeff hands Amy her square.
AMY
What about Mathias?
She nods toward him, and they all turn to look. From his
knees down, Mathias's legs are nothing but bone, tendon, and
ropy clots of blackened blood. His face looks gray. His
eyes are shut, and his breathing sounds terribly RAGGED.
JEFF
He wouldn't be able to stomach it.
Jeff offers Stacy her ration. She takes it, but almost
absentmindedly. She seems distracted; she keeps prodding at
her wound with her fingertip.
JEFF (cont'd)
Stop it, Stacy.
STACY
It's still in there. I can feel
it.
She keeps probing. Jeff shakes his head, a little it' ATIENT:
JEFF
I told you. I got it out.
Jeff pops his square of sandwich into his mouth; Eric and Amy
eat theirs, too. Stacy's ration remains in her hand; she
seems to have forgotten it. She's sunburned, sweat-stained,
glassy-eyed. Eric leans toward her, looking worried.
ERIC
Eat, Stacy. You have to eat.
She places the tiny sandwich into her mouth, chews, swallows,
staring at her wound the whole time. Then:
83.
STACY
See? How puffy it is?
ERIC
That's just swelling. It's
natural.
(he turns toward Jeff)
Right?
JEFF
(he nods)
It's what happens when you get
hurt.
Jeff picks up one of the water bottles, twists off its-cap.
He offers the bottle to Stacy.
JEFF (cont'd)
one swallow apiece.
The bottle makes its way around their little circle. When it
returns to Jeff, he takes his sip, caps the bottle. Eric is
watching Stacy, her anxious probing; he looks increasingly
distressed by it. He jumps up again.
ERIC
The phone. Let's find the phone.
Jeff doesn't move. Stacy's bloodied khakis. are lying in the
dirt beside him, and he reaches for them, starts to cut off
their legs with the knife, just above the knee.
JEFF
We need to take care of Mathias,
first. He won't last much longer
like that.
Amy looks appalled; she makes a shushing motion.
ANY
Shh.
They all glance toward Mathias again. He lies there, eyes
shut, breathing in and out with that fluid-filled RASP. He
seems to be unconscious, but Jeff still LOWERS his voice:
JEFF
We have to cut them off.
ERIC
Cut what off?
84.
JEFF
His legs.
He's finished with Stacy's khakis; they've been transformed
into a pair of shorts. He tosses them toward her. Eric and
Amy are staring at him, shocked into silence. Then:
ERIC
You're joking.
JEFF
He'll die if we don't.
AMY
Without anaesthesia?
JEFF
There won't be any pain. He has no
feeling beneath his waist.
ERIC
He'll lose too much blood.
JEFF
The tourniquets are already in
place. We'll cut below them.
ERIC
With what?
Jeff holds up the knife. Eric SCOFFS at the idea:
ERIC (cont'd)
That wouldn't do a thing. You'd
need a bone saw.
JEFF
We could break the bones. Then
cut.
Amy is shaking her head; she looks mortified.
AMY
No, Jeff. No way.
ERIC
What about infection? Cutting into
him with a dirty knife?
JEFF
We'll sterilize it. Build a fire.
Heat the blade in the flames.
It'll cauterize as it cuts.
85.
A
AMY
You'll kill him.
JEFF
Or save him. One or the other. We
can't just--
STACY
Cut me first. Right here.
Stacy has stood up, pulled on the shorts Jeff has fashioned
for her. She's bent over, pointing at a spot on her leg, a
few inches below the last incision.
STACY (cent'd)
Sterilize the knife and--
Eric steps toward her, tries to soothe her.
ERIC
There's nothing there, Stacy. It's
JUST--
She hardly seems to hear him. She's frightened, growing a
little wild with it. Her voice comes FAST AND HIGH:
STACY
It's moving. I can feel it moving.
ERIC
You're imagining it. You're
scared, and you--
STACY
I gotta get out of here. I gotta
get to a hospital. I gotta--
Eric takes her hand, squeezing it. Stacy blinks at him,
close to tears.
ERIC
You have to calm down. Can you do
that? Can you try to calm down?
Stacy pulls free of him, drops into a crouch, hugging her
knees to her chest, her eyes shut.
STACY
See if there's a signal.
ERIC
A what?
86.
STACY
Your phone. Check your phone.
Eric doesn't move: he knows there's no point.
STACY (cont'd)
Check it.
Eric SIGHS, steps to his pack, crouches to remove his phone.
He flips it open, holds it out to Stacy. She stares down at
it: there's no signal. Eric drops it back into his pack.
Then he turns to Jeff.
ERIC
We go back down. We find the other
phone. We call for help. That's
how we get out of here. That's how
we save him.
JEFF
It'11 take too long.
ERIC
One call, Jeff. They'll be here by
sundown.
JEFF
And Mathias will already be dying.
You understand? There's no flesh
covering his bones. They're--
Mathias's voice interrupts him, from the backboard. Very
HOARSE, barely audible:
MATHIAS
Do...it...
They all turn, stare toward him. His eyes are open.
MATHIAS (cont'd)
Please...
(a beat)
Cut... them... off...
He slowly, painfully, extends his left hand toward them, a
beseeching gesture.
CU - SMALL PILE OF CLOTHES
A pair of shorts, a woman's blouse, two black socks.
87.
JEFF (O.S.)
I'll have to break the bones first.
An amber liquid is being poured onto the clothes, very
slowly. WE PULL BACK TO REVEAL:
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING - DAY
Eric is crouched, dribbling the tequila onto the clothes,
pausing to let it soak in, saturating the fabric. Jeff is
kneeling by the backboard, talking to Mathias.
JEFF
With the stone. Then I'll use the
knife to cut.
A large stone sits beside the pile of clothes, shaped like an
ax head. There's the knife, too, and the metal canteen from
the orange tent.
JEFF (cont'd)
We'll heat the canteen, and
cauterize the wounds with it. To
stop the bleeding.
Eric strikes a match: the clothes catch instantly, burning
with a low blue flame. He sets the knife in the fire, then
the stone, and splashes more tequila on them. The girls
stand in the center of the clearing, watching.
JEFF (cont'd)
You shouldn't be able to feel a
thing. But you can bite this if
you want. Just in case.
He holds up one of the belts. Mathias hesitates, then opens
his mouth, and Jeff sets it carefully inside. Mathias clamps
down, gripping it between his teeth. Jeff glances at Eric.
JEFF (cont'd)
Ready?
Eric nods.- The stone is making a cracking sound in the fire,
glowing a.deep red. Jeff turns back to Mathias.
JEFF (cont'd)
You?
Mathias also nods, shutting his eyes. There's a small towel
in the dirt beside Jeff, and he. picks it up, wrapping it
around his hand. He looks over his shoulder at the girls.
They both seem terrified, shaky with it.
88.
JEFF (cont'd)
You should wait in the tent.
Amy starts to shake her head, but then Stacy is in motion,
grabbing her hand, pulling her across the clearing, and she
lets herself be led.
Jeff watches them vanish through the flap, then reaches
toward the fire with his towel-swathed hand. He scoops up
the stone, raises it over his head, SLAMS it down with all
his strength against the exposed bones of Mathias's left leg.
Mathias bucks, GROANING; his eyes jump open. Jeff drops the
stone back into the fire,. snatches out the knife. Mathias is
trying to rise onto his elbow, straining to see what's
happening.
JEFF (cont'd)
Hold him.
Eric sets the canteen into the flames, sloshes some tequila
on it, then shifts.to the backboard. He presses down on
Mathias''s shoulders. Mathias is WHIMPERING, twisting his
head back and forth, gripping the belt tightly in his teeth.
Jeff starts to saw with the knife, chopping and cutting the
splintered bones. Bloody marrow spills wetly out, and then
Mathias's.lower leg comes free of his body, the foot and
ankle and shin bones completely separate now.
Jeff lifts the bones away, drops them into the dirt beside
the backboard. Then he turns, uses the towel to pluck the
canteen out of the fire: it, too, is glowing red.
He presses the canteen flat against Mathias's stump, the
flesh SIZZLING and SPITTING. Mathias bucks even more
forcefully; he spits out the belt, CRIES OUT:
MATHIAS
Stop...stop...
Jeff ignores him, dropping the canteen back into the fire,
lifting out the stone. Eric looks increasingly mortified; he
seems close to tears.
ERIC
JEFF--
JEFF
Reep him still.
He turns, SMASHES the stone into Mathias's right leg.
Mathias begins to SCREAM, bucking against Eric's grip.
89.
INT. ORANGE TENT - DAY
Mathias's SCREAMS fill the tent. Amy and Stacy are sitting
together, clutching each other; Stacy is CRYING. Amy is
staring toward the flap with a look of horror.
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING - DAY
Jeff saws and chops at the shattered bones with the knife.
Mathias continues'to SCREAM. Eric is using all his weight to
hold him still, his head averted, his eyes clenched shut.
Jeff lifts the severed bones.away from the backboard, drops
them at his side. Then he scoops up the canteen again. As
he presses it to Mathias's stump, Mathias finally passes out,
his body going slack, his screams falling SILENT.
For a long beat, there's just the SPITTING, SNAPPING sound of
Mathias's flesh being seared. Then Eric pulls back into a
crouch, shaking his head, looking utterly depleted.
ERIC
Oh, Jesus. Jesus Christ.
Amy emerges from the tent, then Stacy. They stand staring.
AMY
He felt it, didn't he? The whole
thing.
Jeff lifts the canteen away.
JEFF
He couldn't have.
AMY
He was screaming. Be was telling
you to stop.
JEPF
It was just seeing it. Looking
down, and--
Amy is shaking her head, staring at Mathias with that
appalled expression: his slack face, his burned stumps.
AMY
This is bad, Jeff. So bad.
Jeff leans to loosen first one tourniquet, then the other.
90.
JEFF
We've bought him some time. He
wouldn't have--
AMY
You cut off his legs! You--
Stacy SCREAMS, pointing toward Mathias's amputated limbs.
They're lying in the dirt at the base of the backboard, the
bloodstained bones held together with a few remaining cords
of flesh. A vine has come snaking into the clearing: it's
wrapping itself around one of the feet.
As the tendril begins to drag. the bones away, a.second one
slithers forward and lays claim to the other foot.
Eric grabs the knife, jumps up, steps on the first tendril,
bends to slash at it with the blade. He swoops toward the
second one. Even as he does so, though, a third tendril
slithers into the clearing, then a fourth.
Stacy SCREAMS again, short and loud, and backs toward the
tent; Eric bends and slashes, bends and slashes, and the'vine
keeps coming, from all directions, reaching for the bones.
JEFF
Leave it.
Eric ignores him, cutting and stomping and tearing at the
tendrils, faster and faster, but still too slow, the vine
fighting back, wrapping itself around his legs.
JEFF (cont'd)
Eric.
He steps toward him, grabs his arm, pulls him away. They
stand side by side, watching as the vine pulls the severed
limbs into itself, the white of the bones vanishing into the
larger mass of green. Stacy has begun to CRY again.
There's a beat of stillness, and then, once more, echoing up
toward them from the shaft, comes that faint electronic
RINGING of the cell phone.
CU - THE WINDLASS
Spinning, the rope spooling quickly off the barrel.
JEFF (O.S.)
I don't know how long it'11 burn--
WE PULL BACK TO REVEAL:
91.
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING - DAY
Eric is pulling the rope off the windlass, laying it out in a
long zigzag across the clearing. Jeff is crouched by the
shaft, making a torch. The girls stand over him, watching.
JEFF
So you'll have to be quick.
He has one of the aluminum poles from the blue tent. He's
wrapped duct tape around its bottom for a grip, tied some of
the archaeologists' clothes around the top. He's dribbling
tequila on the knot of fabric, saturating it.
JEFF (cont'd)
Wait to light it till you're both
down there. Then--
STACY
Who?
Jeff looks up at her, startled by the question. Eric is
moving along the length of rope, bent low, checking its hemp
for signs of weakness.
JEFF
Who what?
STACY
Who's going?
JEFF
You and Amy.
They all look bad, but Stacy looks the worst: her wounded
leg,, -her greasy hair, a panicky edge to every gesture. She
shakes her head, with vehemence.
STACY
No, Jeff. No way. Not me.
Jeff caps the tequila bottle, gives Stacy a tired look.
JEFF
We've already been through this.
Eric and I need to work the winch.
You're not strong enough.
Eric has reached the end of the rope; he stands up, wiping
his hands on his pants.
92.
ERIC
It's clear.
He moves to the windlass, starts to wind the rope back onto
the barrel. They've tied a sling on the rope's end again.
Stacy is pressing her right hand against the bottom of her
rib cage: massaging, probing
STACY
Why can't Amy go on her own?
JEFF
The torch won't last that long. We
need you both there, searching.
Stacy starts shaking her head again, TERRIFIED:
STACY
I'm not going. I can't.
JEFF
You don't have a choice, Stacy.
Amy can see where this is headed; she tries to divert it.
AMY
It's okay. I'll go alone.
Jeff ignores this. He rises to his feet, still focused on
Stacy. WE can HEAR his growing anger in his voice:
JEFF
if we don't find the phone, Mathias
will die. Understand?
Stacy is silent, hugging herself, staring at the ground.
Eric has finished winding the rope onto the windlass. He
tries to intervene:
ERIC
JEFF--
Jeff ignores him, his gaze on Stacy.
JEFF
So that's what you're saying. Just
to be clear. That you're not
willing to help him live.
ERIC
Come on, man. She's too scared.
93.
JEFF
I don't give a fuck. I'm scared,
too. We all are.
ERIC
it was inside her.
JEFF
And we got it out. Now she needs
to stop being such a fucking baby,
stop being so selfish, and--
Eric is stepping toward him suddenly, right up against him,
forcing him back a step.
ERIC
,hut Up. Okay?
He's bigger than Jeff, stronger, and this is suddenly very
palpable. Their faces are three inches apart. A tense beat,
and then, more QUIETLY:
ERIC (cont'd)
You're being too hard.
Jeff gives him a look of incredulity, almost disgust.
JEFF
Hard?
ERIC
Just leave her be.
Jeff turns away from him, from all three of them. He stares
off across the hill for a beat, then shakes his head.
JEFF
I'm the only one thinking. I'm
carrying the whole fucking load.
ERIC
So stop. Lay it down.
Jeff turns back to him, gives him a look of pure contempt; WE
can HEAR his fury rising again as he speaks:
JEFF
This isn't just going to work out
on its own, Eric. You know?
Magically?
ERIC
I'm not saying--
94.
JEFF
We could end up dead here. All of
us. Is that what you want?
ERIC
Of course not.
JEFF
Then get the fuck out of my way,
and start helping me.
He holds Eric's eyes long enough to confirm that Eric isn't
going to protest, then he glances past him at Stacy.
JEFF (cont'd)
You going or not?
Stacy-is still staring at the ground, her hand probing at her
chest. It's clear she doesn't want to go, but Jeff has
shamed her into silence. Amy reaches, touches her arm.
AMY
.'-11 be right there. Okay? We'll
be together the whole time.
A long beat, then Stacy manages a nod. It's enough for Jeff;
he pushes past Eric, moving toward the windlass.
JEFF
Get in the sling, Amy.
Amy turns, reaching for the sling.
EXT. BOTTOM OF THE SHAFT - DAY
A faint fall of light from above. There's the CREAKING of
the windlass: Amy is dropping slowly toward us. When her
feet touch the bottom of the shaft, she scrambles out of the
sling. Then she lifts her head, SHOUTS:
AMY
Pull it up!
The CREAKING resumes. She stands there in the dimness,
watching the sling rise away from her. She has the makeshift
torch in one hand, the box of matches in the other.
95.
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING
Eric is helping Stacy into the sling, pulling it over her
head; Stacy's hands are shaking badly. Eric hugs her, trying
to calm her. Jeff waits beside the hand crank.
THE BOTTOM OF THE SHAFT
Amy is in a crouch. She keeps glancing toward the stone arch
cut into the shaft's wall, and the passageway beyond it: the
vine dangles from.the low ceiling, like streamers at a party.
The CREAKING resumes, and Amy looks up.
AMY'S POV - ABOVE HER
Stacy is dropping slowly toward us.
BACK TO SCENE
Amy glances toward the arch again. A slight draft blows
steadily from it, and the vine shifts and trembles in it. A
beat, then the RINGING starts up once more. It's coming from
within the shadowed passageway.
Amy opens the box of matches, plucks one out. She's too
jumpy, though; her hands are-trembling so much that she
shakes the match out as soon as it's lit.
There's a second RING. Stacy has nearly reached us.
Amy digs another match from the box. Stacy's feet touch the
bottom of the shaft; she yanks off the sling. There's a
third RING.
STACY
Hurry.
Amy strikes the match, holds it to the knot of clothing at
the end of the aluminum pole. The alcohol catches with a
FLUTTERING sound, a cloud of pale blue fire materializing
around the torch. Amy lifts it, and they start into:
THE UNDERGROUND PASSAGE
Stacy is in front, with Amy right behind her. The torch
shudders weakly in the steady draft; the shaft's ceiling is
low enough that they have to crouch as they move forward.
There's a fourth RING, drawing them deeper down the passage.
96.
The tendrils hanging from the ceiling brush against them.
The vine is growing on the floor, too--knee-deep--and from
the walls on either side. Amy is moving cautiously,
squinting into the darkness, and Stacy starts to pull ahead.
AMY
Wait...
She pauses, lifting the torch, but Stacy keeps going. Amy
peers at the vine hanging from the wall. There's a fifth
RING, echoing eerily, and the flowers move in exact unison
with the sound, their stamens vibrating, like so many
miniature tuning forks: the plant is making the noise.
AMY (cont'd)
Stacy...
The shaft dead-ends at a blank wall, which is just
materializing out of the darkness, fifteen feet in front of
them. There's a sixth RING. Stacy points at the wall,
quickening her pace.
STACY
It's right here. I can--
Amy jumps forward, reaching for her.
AMY
DON'T--
But there's another RING, and Stacy keeps going: she's
nearly at the wall.
STACY
IT'S--
Stop!
Amy grabs her arm, hard, jerks her back a step, pulling her
close, the torchlight flickering over them. She WHISPERS:
AMY (cont'd)
There's no phone.
STACY
What?
A seventh RING sounds, seeming to come from beneath the vines
on the floor of the shaft, directly in front of them. Stacy
tries to pull free, to bend and reach toward the sound.
97.
STACY (cont'd)
I can--
Amy jerks her back again, WHISPERS straight into her ear:
ANY
It's the vine. The flowers.
They're making the noise.
STACY
No. It's--
She pulls free, steps forward, and her foot seems to punch
straight through the shaft's floor. She SCREAMS, losing her
balances Amy throws down the torch, lunges for her. The
torch flutters, pales, but remains lit.
The vines growing across the floor fall away, revealing an
opening, another shaft, dropping into the earth. Stacy is
slowly sliding into it, scrambling to stop herself.
Amy grabs Stacy arm. Stacy is dangling, from the waist down,
over the hole's edge. There are vines in the hole, too, and.
they begin to coil around her legs, pulling at her, dragging
her downward.
Stacy SCREAMS again, kicking to free herself, scrambling
upward, monkey-like, while Amy pulls at her, and finally they
manage to drag her to safety.
A beat, then Amy retrieves the torch, holds it out over the
hole. The bottom is twenty feet down, almost lost in shadow.
Dimly, WE SEE a woman, lying curled against the wall--she has
long dark hair.
STACY (cont'd)
Oh my God.
The woman stirs, her body rolling, as if to turn and look at
us, and WE SEE her face: she's a corpse. The vine has
invaded her flesh--it's in her eye sockets, the hollow of her
mouth, writhing and churning. Stacy and Amy SCREAM.
There's a WHISTLING sound, like a whip, and a tendril lashes
out from the shaft's wall, wraps itself around the torch's
handle, yanks it from Amy's grip. The torch falls into the
hole, still burning. When it hits bottom, a mass of vine
surges across it, smothering its flame.
It's very dark after this: Amy and Stacy are barely
discernible. A beat of silence, then an odd, high-pitched
CACKLING rises all around them; it sounds like laughter--
eerie, childlike, full of echoes.
98.
As it steadily increases in volume, that WHISTLING comes once
more: the vines SMACK at them from the floor, the ceiling,
the walls, coiling around their bodies, pulling them toward
the open shaft.
They both SCREAM again, scrambling backward, while the vine
keeps coming, more and more of it, grabbing at their arms,
their legs, their necks. They stumble over each other,
falling onto their hands and knees.amid the.tendrils.
The vine catches at them, tries to hold them down. It's not
strong enough, though; they yank it off, and thrash their
way, foot by foot, back toward the sling, the vine lashing at
them, grabbing, tearing, sap leaking onto their skin. The
laughter grows still louder, the whole shaft ECHOING with it.
Amy reaches the sling first, with Stacy right behind her.
Even here, the vine continues to attack them, whipping and
HISSING and LAUGHING. Amy holds the sling toward Stacy.
AMY
You.
But Stacy is too hysterical: she just stands there, SOBBING,
SCREAMING. Jeff's voice comes toward them from above,
SHOUTING:
JEFF (0.S.)
Amoy...?
Amy pulls the sling over her own head. YELLS:
AMY
Pull us up!
JEFF (O.S.)
Did you find it?
AMY
NMI
She reaches out, grabs Stacy, wrapping her arms and legs
around her. Stacy returns the embrace, both of them
clutching at each other, as the windlass finally begins to
CREAK, lifting the two of them into the air.
ON AMY AND STACY - IN THE SLING
The vines hanging from the shaft's walls whip at the girls as
they rise, coiling around their bodies, pulling at them, that
strange LAUGHTER growing ever louder, seeming to buffet their
bodies. Stacy and Amy grip each other with all their
strength, eyes shut tight. Stacy SCREAMS.
99.
EXT. CLEARING/BASE OP. THE HILL - DAY
The SCREAM comes faintly toward us. The Mayans are arrayed
about their campsite, all of them motionless, silent, staring
up the hill with their impassive expressions.
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING - DUSK
The weather has shifted; a wind has risen. The sun is
setting, a red smudge behind a dark gray wall of clouds.
Mathias lies.on his backboard, unconscious, his breathing
coming in that ragged RASP, a thread of brown liquid leaking
from the corner of his mouth. Amy is crouched beside him;
she leans forward, wipes away the liquid.
Stacy sits in the clearing behind her, leaning against Eric.
They're both slick with sweat, but Stacy keeps shivering, as
if cold. Eric's arms are around her, and her eyes are shut.
Jeff is peeling the orange. Like Amy, he's still spattered
and stained with Mathias's blood. The vine has continued to
grow on everyone's clothes, weblike, eating away at the
fabric. Jeff reaches, tugs free a strand of it, and a six-
inch tear appears in his T-shirt.
Stacy opens her eyes; she leans forward, peers down at the
wounds on her leg, her right hand moving to her chest,
probing at her rib cage. She turns to Eric:
STACY
Check your phone.
Eric pushes himself to his feet, steps toward his pack. He
pulls out his phone, flips it open. He shakes his head.
STACY (cont'd)
Let me see.
Eric carries the phone to her, then stands over her while she
opens it, stares down at it. She shuts it, opens it again.
Then again, and again, and suddenly she's CRYING, bent into
herself. Eric drops to a crouch, rests his hand on her knee.
ERIC
Shh.
But her crying increases; she begins to SOB. Jeff is bent'
over the orange, dividing it into four equal piles--its peel,
too--concentrating. He lifts his head, stares. Amy stands
up, hurries over., kneels in front of Stacy, takes her hand.
100.
AMY
It's okay, sweetie. You're okay.
Stacy keeps WEEPING, uncontrollably, shaking her head.
STACY
I wanner go home. I wanna leave...
ERIC
Shh...
She's WAILING, rocking back and forth; she can't seem to
stop. Amy struggles to calm her.
AMY
Stacy...
Stacy keeps WAILING, rocking, eyes shut. Amy leans in close.
AMY (cont'd)
Let's play the game...can you do
that? Huh? Can you give me a
"So"?
Stacy continues to CRY.
AMY (cont'd)
Come on. Just try. Can you try?
(a beat)
So there was this girl who wanted
to be a pilot.
Stacy's tears keep coming. Amy looks at Eric, gives him a
nod,'prodding him into speech. He hesitates, then:
ERIC
But she was scared of heights.
AMY
So she became a lifeguard instead.
(she squeezes Stacy's
HAND)
Come on. Your turn.
More SOBS. Amy glances across the clearing at Jeff, wanting
him to join in, too. It seems as if he might refuse, but
then her look hardens, and he relents.
JEFF
But she couldn't swim.
101.
AMY
So she wore a life vest.
(she squeezes Stacy's hand
AGAIN)
Come on. Now you.
A beat, then Stacy takes a deep, ragged breath. She wipes at
her face, struggles for words.
STACY
But everyone...
She trails off, CRYING again. Amy nods, encouraging her.
AMY
Yeah...? Everyone what?
STACY
They laughed at her.
AMY
Good. That's good. So she--
Very suddenly, it starts to rain--a dozen large, heavy drops.
They all glance skyward.
JEFF
SHIT�
He springs to his feet. And then: a downpour, a deluge, as
if a trap door has swung open in the clouds. The rain falls
in a loud, drumming rush, turning the clearing to mud.
Eric jumps up, too. He and Jeff start digging through the
backpacks from the. blue tent, searching for something--
anything--in which to catch the water. They find a small
plastic bag, a nylon toiletry kit, a Frisbee. Jeff sets
these in a row on the ground, open to the rain.
Eric rushes to the orange tent, vanishes inside. Amy tilts
back her head, tries to catch the rain in her open mouth.
Stacy just sits there, hugging herself, shivering, still half-
crying. They're all drenched, back-spattered with mud.
And then, as abruptly as it had begun, the rain starts to
slacken. Eric reemerges from the orange tent, carrying a
thermos, a plastic cup. He sets them next to the other
containers, but it's pointless; the rain is already stopping.
They all stare at these meager receptacles: they've managed
to catch less than half an inch of muddy-looking water. Jeff.
GROANS; he's FURIOUS with himself:
102.
JEFF (cont'd)
We should've been ready. We
SHOULD'VE-
He kicks the Frisbee across the clearing. Amy jumps up.
AMY
JEFFT
She steps forward, as if to guard the other containers.
JEFF
It doesn't fucking matter.
AMY
There was water in it.
He spins toward her, turning his fury with himself on her:
JEFF
How much, Amy? Two and a half
gallons? 'Cause that's what we
need. For today--just to make it
through today. And then tomorrow
the same all over again. And for
how long? Another week before our
parents start searching? And then
what? How long till they track us
to Coba? Or to this fucking hill?
How long will it take, Amy?
AMY
You said--
JEFF
It's not gonna happen. We're not
gonna make it.
The others stare at him in astonishment, too 'stunned to
speak. He gives them all a look of disgust:
JEFF (cont'd)
And you're fucking playing games.
(mimicking Amy's voice)
So there were these people trapped
in the jungle.
AMY
Don't, Jeff.
JEFF
But they didn't have any water.
103.
Amy looks as if she might start crying.
AMY
Please, don't.
JEFF
So they're gonna die of thirst.
Amy covers her ears with her hands.
AMY
Shut up!
JEFF
But this fucking vine might kill
them first.
AMY
(SHOUTING)
STOP IT!
Jeff paces away, struggling to regain control of himself. A
long beat, and then, very QUIETLY:
JEFF
I'm sorry ...I'm sorry.
He steps back toward the dismembered orange, crouches over
it. The fruit and peels are muddy now, spoiled looking. He
waves for the others to approach.
JEFF (cont'd)
Come on. We need to eat.
No one moves. They're all staring at him with their shocked
expressions. He can't seem to meet their eyes. He gestures
at the orange again.
JEFF (cont'd)
The peel, too. Everything.
Abeat, then the others step forward to claim their portions:
first Eric, then Stacy, then Amy. They eat without speaking.
Finally, almost AS IF TALKING TO HIMSELF:
JEFF (cont'd)
It'll rain again. It has to. And
we'll figure out a way to catch it.
(he nods to himself)
We'll be fine. We'll ration the
-food. And then, you know, we'll
just...we'll tough it out..
(MORE)
104.
JEFF (cont'd)
People have survived for weeks with
nothing. Just water, a little bit
of water. So why not us?
No one responds. They continue to eat: the fruit, the
peels. Their torn clothes cling wetly to them. Jeff uncaps
the water bottle, offers it to Amy. She drinks, passes it
on. It moves around the circle, back to Jeff.
ERIC
What about the vine?
Jeff takes his sip, caps the bottle. He's reclaiming
himself, his voice strengthening, his confidence returning.
JEFF
I don't think it can hurt us. Not
directly. if it could, it already
would've, wouldn't it? Why would
it wait?
The others are silent, considering this. Then:
JEFF (cont'd)
It's not strong enough to overpower
us. And it--
Mathias GASPS suddenly, his entire body spasming for a
moment, before the watery RASP of his breathing resumes. He
doesn't regain consciousness; his eyes remain shut. Everyone
watches him for a beat: he, also, is spattered with mud.
AMY
He's gonna die, isn't he? if
there's no phone, then there's no--
STACY
Me, too.
They all turn to look at her. She's massaging that spot on
her rib cage again, digging into it with her fingers.
STACY (cont'd)
It's eating me. Just like him.
And her.
She waves toward the shaft. Jeff gives her a weary look.
JEFF
Don't, Stacy. Don't start.
She jumps up, begins to pace, agitated.
105.
STACY
It's inside me. In my leg. My
chest. I can feel it. Right here..
She stops pacing, lifts her shirt. She points to the base of
her rib cage.
STACY (cont'd)
See?
Jeff stares; there's nothing there. He shakes his head. The
knife is lying in the mud beside him, and Stacy steps
forward, snatches it up. Jeff reaches to stop her, but he's
too slow. She stands before him, hefting it. in her hand.
JEFF
Put it down.
STACY
I'll show you.
She lifts her.shirt again, pressing at her rib cage with her
.fingertips. Jeff stands up, holds out his hand.
JEFF
Give it to me. Right now.
Amy and Eric stand, too.
ERIC
STACY--
But she's already cutting: a four inch slit along the base
of her rib cage. Amy SCREAMS. A horizontal line of blood
crests the wound, sweeps down across Stacy's stomach, soaking
into the waistband of her shorts. She watches it, frowning.
STACY
I thought it would just come
tumbling out.
She probes at the cut with the point of the knife, prying it
farther open, the bleeding increasing. Jeff reaches, grabs
the knife from her. He looks furious:
JEFF .
Sit down.
STACY
It's hiding. It's right--
She pokes her finger into the wound, digging. Jeff slaps her
hand away. He YELLS:
106.
JEFF
a il h� f down i
He shoves her down, onto her back, then picks up the towel
he'd used to hold the heated stone. He balls it up, presses
it to Stacy's wound. Eric retrieves the bottle of tequila
from the mud, uncaps it. He crouches beside Stacy.
ERIC
Don't yell. she's just scared.
SHE'S--
JEFF
what're you doing?
He's lifting the bottle toward Stacy's mouth, but he
hesitates now, turning toward Jeff.
ERIC
Just a sip. To calm her.
JEFF
It'll dehydrate-her.
ERIC
A sip, Jeff.
He starts to lift the bottle again. Jeff shoves it aside.
JEFF
I said Q.
STACY
Leave him alone.
She tries to sit up, but Jeff pushes her back down, hard.
JEFF
You realize how stupid you're
being? Sticking that dirty knife
INTO--
STACY
It's growing.
JEFF
of ina's.inside you. You're
imagining it, and you just--
STACY
I'm gonna end up like her. That
girl. I'm gonna--
107.
r -
JEFF
Get infected. Understand? You're
gonna get yourself killed.
STACY
You're not listening.
JEFF
BECAUSE--
STACY
(shouting, very loud)
YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!
A beat of startled silence, and then her voice comes again,
from across the hilltop, sounding exactly like her, only
slightly fuzzed, a rasping quality just beneath the words:
STACY'S VOICE
YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!
They all turn to look, but there's nothing there, just the
vine, its green leaves, its bright red flowers. Stacy's
voice comes once more, from the.opposite direction now:
STACY'S VOICE (cont'd)
YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!
ERIC
What the--
Stacy's voice keeps coming, switching locations, seeming to
float across the hilltop; they turn, tracking it.
STACY'S VOICE
YOU'RE NOT LISTENING...! YOU'RE
NOT LISTENING...! YOU'RE NOT
LISTENING...!
Amy steps toward Jeff, looking frightened.
AMY
The Mayans.
JEFF
(shaking his head)
No--it's the vine. It's mimicking
her.
Stacy has started to CRY; she covers her ears with her hands.
STACY
Make it stop.
108.
STACY'S VOICE
YOU'RE NOT LISTENING...! YOU'RE
NOT LISTENING...! YOU'RE NOT
LISTENING...!
STACY
Please. Make it stop.
STACY'S VOICE
YOU'RE NOT LISTENING...! YOU'RE
NOT LISTENING...! YOU'RE NOT
LISTENING...!
Stacy tries to sit up, but Jeff pushes her back down. Se's
still crouched over her, pressing the towel to her wound;
it's completely soaked through with blood now. Stacy YELLS:
STACY
Shut up...!
Stacy's voice continues, but now that high-pitched LAUGHTER
is coming, too, a chorus of it, growing in volume:
STACY'S VOICE
YOU'RE NOT LISTENING...! YOU'RE
NOT LISTENING...! YOU'RE NOT
LISTENING...!
Stacy's weeping has deepened to SOBS. She keeps YELLING:
STACY
Shut up...! Shut up...!
The LAUGHTER grows steadily LOUDER, obscuring Stacy's voice:
WE SEE the flowers trembling, visibly vibrating as they
sculpt the sound...
EXT. CLEARING/BASE OF THE HILL - DUSK
The light is fading fast. One of the Mayan women is cleaning
a pot with a handful of leaves. Three of the men sit facing
the hillside, their bows in their laps. The others are
bedding down beneath the trees.
The LAUGHTER echoes down the hill, eerie and ghoulish, yet
the Mayans betray no reaction to it, as if it were no more
worthy of note to them than the steady RASPING of the locusts
in the jungle at their backs.
109.
INT. ORANGE TENT - NIGHT
Jeff, Stacy and Amy lie side-by-side in the darkness. The
liquid RATTLE of Mathias's breathing comes from the clearing,
sounding as if someone were sawing at a tin can.
Jeff and Stacy are asleep; Amy is stirring restlessly,
shifting first onto one side, then the other. Finally, she
rises, moves toward the flap, slips quietly through it.
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING - NIGHT
The moon is out, dropping its faint light upon us. Mathias
is on his backboard beneath the little lean-to, more audible
than visible, with his PHLEGM-CLOTTED breathing. Eric is
beside him. He looks up as Amy emerges from the tent.
ANY
Now is he?
Eric shrugs, waves toward the backboard: it seems clear
enough. Amy stares-for a moment, then sits beside him.
AMY (cont'd)
You can go lie down if you want.
Eric lifts his hand, pushes a button on his watch, makes it
glow. He squints at it.
ERIC
I still have forty minutes.
AMY
I don't mind. I can't sleep.
Eric checks his watch again, its glow briefly illuminating
his face. He gestures toward the tent.
ERIC
Is Stacy?
AMY
They both are.
There's a slight breeze, and the tent makes a FLAPPING SOUND
in it. They both turn to stare at it. Then:
AMY (cont'd)
Do you think it's inside her?
110.
ERIC
(he shakes his head)
Jeff cut it out. I saw him.
AMY
But she says she can feel it.
Moving. Shifting about.
Eric waves this aside.
ERIC
You know how Stacy is. She's just
scared. She gets things in her
head, and---
Mathias makes a RETCHING sound--loud, wet, painful--and they
both turn,•peering at his gaunt form through the darkness.
He falls QUIET; his eyes don't open. A beat, then:
ERIC (cont'd)
I've been sitting here, you know,
making all these deals in my head
with God. You ever do that?
Amy just stares at him. He has his arms wrapped around his
knees, hugging them to his chest.
ERIC (cont'd)
Like I say, okay, you can fire me
on the first day teaching if that's
what you want--just let us make it
home. But that doesn't mean shit,
'cause I don't even really want the
job, and He has to know that,
doesn't He? So I say, all right,
Stacy can leave me, you know, or
even, I don't know, I'll give up a
finger, okay? Or two fingers. Or
fuck it, take a hand, take my left
hand, but let us just get home, all
of us.
(a beat)
And then I look at him--
(he nods toward Mathias)
--and I can't help it, I'm, like,
take him if you need to, take
Mathias, and let the rest of us go.
That's fucking horrible, isn't it?
And once I've said it, I feel like
I can't take it back, you know?
(MORE)
ERIC (cont'd)
Like the words have gone up into
the sky and God's sort of thinking
about them now, making his choice,
and if Mathias dies and we don't,
it'll be.like I killed him, won't
it? Like I--
Amy starts to CRY; she covers her mouth with her hand. Eric
stares at her in surprise.
ERIC (cont'd)
What? What is it?
Amy shakes her head. She struggles to stop, but she can't.
AMY
I'm sorry ...I'm so sorry...
(a beat)
It's my fault.
ERIC
what is?
AMY
If I hadn't stepped onto the hill--
Her crying INCREASES. Eric leans, touches her hand.
ERIC
That's stupid, Amy. That's--
AMY
Jeff said it. He said--
Eric reaches, puts his arm around her, trying to quiet her.
ERIC
He didn't mean it. There's no way.
He was just--
AMY
We might not have...
ERIC
Shh. Don't.
She rests her head on his shoulder, WEEPING, her body shaking
with it, while he pats her, stroking her hair.
112.
INT. ORANGE TENT - NIGHT
Stacy and Jeff, eyes shut, sleeping. Very SOFTLY, there
comes a faint PANTING, rhythmic, furtive sounding. Stacy's
eyes open; she lies there, listening.
There's a MOAN, and the PANTING QUICKENS. Stacy rises to a
sitting position. She listens for another beat, then leans,
prods at Jeff. He awakes with a jerk, blinking up at her.
JEFF
Wh--?
Stacy holds her finger to her lips, silencing him.. From
outside, there's another MOAN. Jeff sits up, listening. The
PANTING is BUILDING toward a climax. Jeff leans toward the
pile of supplies at the tent's rear, squinting at the tangle
of vine growing across it. He points, WHISPERING:
JEFF (cont'd)
It's the--
But Stacy is already pushing herself to her feet. She moves
quickly to the tent's flap, UNZIPS it, crouches out into:
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING - NIGHT
Mathias's breathing continues its RAGGED course. Amy is
still leaning into Eric, her head on his shoulder. He has
his arm around her. He looks up, blinking, as Stacy emerges
from the tent into the moonlight.
. STACY
What the fuck, Eric?
Amy lifts her head, wipes at her face; Eric drops his arm
from her shoulder. They both stare at Stacy, startled by her
anger. Jeff appears behind her, stepping through the flap.
ERIC
What?
STACY
We heard you.
ERIC
Heard me what?
STACY
Fucking her.
113.
Eric looks from Stacy to Jeff, completely perplexed.
ERIC
What're you talking about?
JEFF
The vine. it made it sound as if
you two--
Stacy turns toward him, SNORTING, shaking her head.
STACY
You're so blind.
JEFF
I could hear it. At the back of
the tent. It was--
STACY
It doesn't make things up. It
mimics things. Things it's heard.
JEFF
Then it's heard someone having sex
at some point.
Slowly, quietly, a tendril has begun to slither forward
through the darkness, creeping in beneath the lean-to,
snaking toward Mathias, toward his head. Jeff and the others
are all too focused on one another to notice.
STACY
That was Ay, Jeff. Moaning.
AMY
What?
Jeff reaches, touches Stacy's arm, struggling to calm her,
but she flinches from him.
JEFF
it's doing this on purpose.' Can't
you see? It thinks you're the
weakest--because you're hurt. So
it's trying to upset you. Trying
TO--
STACY
You're not upset? He had his arm
around her. He--
Amy leans forward, hands out, BESEECHING:
114.
AMY
Nothing happened, Stacy. I was
crying. And Eric--
STACY
We he-ar you.
The vine starts to push its way in between Mathias's lips,
into his mouth. Mathias makes a GAGGING sound, but doesn't
regain consciousness: once more, no one notices.
JEFF
We heard the vine. It--
STACY
You're such a fool, Jeff. You
think she's never cheated on you?
Perfect little angelic Amy?
AMY
Stacy.
STACY
I could tell you secrets. I could
open your eyes.
AMY
Shi i up. Right now.
A second tendril has slithered under the lean-to. It covers
Mathias's nose, drawing itself tight. The steady rasping of
his breathing is CUT OFF. Yet again, no one notices.
STACY
Spring break? Senior year?
AMY
You bitch. You stupid cunt.
Stacy spins on her, VENOMOUS:
STACY
Fuck you. Slut.
(back to Jeff)
Twice, Jeff. Two different guys.
And one of them--
Jeff grabs her arm, grips it, silencing hers
JEFF
Enough, Stacy. Stoll.
115.
Stacy falls SILENT; she seems as astonished by what she's
said as everyone else.
JEFF (cont'd)
Where do you think you are? Huh?
Why would you even care--at this
point, if they were out here
fucking? We're trapped. We don't
have any food. Or water. And
MATHIAS--
He turns, stares: sees. He darts forward, starts to yank
away the tendrils. They resist him, writhing, clinging to
Mathias's face. Eric and Amy both jump up. Stacy has
started to CRY, shaking her head, MORTIFIED:
STACY
Oh, god...oh please no...
Jeff bends close to Mathias's face, listening; he checks
Mathias's neck for a pulse. A beat, then he turns toward the
others, shakes his head. Stacy begins to SOB:
STACY (cont'd)
I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...
Eric reaches, takes her into his arms, hugging her.
EXT. CLEARING/BASE OF THE HILL -- FROM UP THE HILL - DAWN
The hillside falls away from us, the narrow trail winding
down its face to the clearing and the wall of jungle beyond.
The sun is just rising, and the vine seems to shimmer in it.
Three of the Mayan encampments are visible from here: one
directly beneath us, one to the left, another to the right.
Thin ribbons of smoke rise from their campfires.
EXT. HILLTOP - TOP OF THE TRAIL - DAY
Jeff stands there, staring down toward the jungle. Eric and
Stacy are sitting together in the clearing behind him,
holding hands; Stacy is still CRYING softly. Amy approaches
across the hilltop, stops beside Jeff.
JEFF
They must've salted the soil.
That's the only way I can think.
He turns, glances at Amy. She has no idea what he's talking
about. He waves down toward the Mayans.
116.
JEFF (cont'd)
To keep the ground clear. It grows
so quickly...
He gestures at their clothes, upon which that green webbing
of vine continues to spread, eating away at the fabric.
JEFF (cont'd)
It's old, too--has to be. Really
old. Because the birds, the
insects... somehow they've evolved.
They've learned not to land here.
(he peers about them, at
the vine-covered hill)
And the horses. Remember? How
frightened they were? They knew,
too.
They stand in silence for a beat, staring down the hill
toward the Mayans. Then Amy reaches, touches Jeff's arm.
AMY
It didn't happen.
Jeff turns, stares at her. she waves back toward the tent.
AMY (cont'd)
Eric and I, we were just---
JEFF
I know.
AMY
And what she said. About spring
break. I--
Jeff reaches, presses his finger to her lips.
JEFF
Shh.
Amy falls silent, watching him. He lowers his finger.
JEFF (cont'd)
Have you made it up with her?
Amy half-nods, half-shrugs.
JEFF (cont'd)
Good.
AMY
But I want to tell you--
117.
He presses his finger to her lips again, stopping her. He
waits a beat, and then:
JEFF
I wish it mattered.
Amy gives him a confused look. Jeff throws out his hand,.
gesturing at the hilltop, the vine, their tattered clothes.
JEFF (cont'd)
Look at us.
(a beat)
Would it matter to you?
Amy hesitates, considering. Then she shakes her head. And
with that, Jeff turns, starts back toward the orange tent.
WE HEAR a zipping sound, which carries over into:
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING - DAY
Jeff is crouched beside the backboard, UNZIPPING the sleeping
bag. Eric tosses the flimsy lean-to aside, exposing
Mathias's corpse-to the sun. Amy and Stacy stand watching.
JEFF
Head first?
Eric considers this, staring down at Mathias's body.
Mathias's face is burned red from the vine's sap; his legs
are two blackened stumps. Eric shrugs.
ERIC
I guess.
JEFF
You'll have to lift him.
Eric hesitates; he seems reluctant to touch the corpse.
Finally, he girds himself, straddles the backboard, grabs
Mathias under his armpits, lifting him. Jeff leans forward,
starts to pull the sleeping bag over Mathias's head.
The corpse seems intent upon resisting them; its arms keep
getting tangled, catching and snagging. Jeff and Eric have
to wrestle with it, both of them PANTING, sweating, before
they manage to shove it into the bag.
Jeff ZIPS the bag shut, and they stand over it, catching
their breath, wiping the perspiration from their faces.
ERIC
Should we say something?
118.
Jeff gives him a blank stare.
ERIC (cont'd)
Like, you know ...a prayer?
Jeff frowns down at the bag, searching for words. Before he
can find them, Stacy speaks:
STACY
Where's the knife?
They all turn. Her hand is under her tattered shirt,
pressing at her lower back. Jeff SIGHS:
JEFF
STACY--
She lifts her shirt, twisting to show him. it looks as if a
large starfish has been implanted just beneath her skin.
It's moving, too, inching slowly but visibly downward. They
all stare in astonishment.
Amy GASPS, points at Stacy's leg. Stacy bends to see:
there's more vine here, a snakelike lump winding its way
upward from the top of her shin to her inner thigh.
CU - FIRE
Another small pile of clothes, burning with that blue,
alcohol-fueled flame.
AMY (O.S.)
Can I give her some?
The knife is placed in the fire, and WE PULL BACK TO REVEAL:
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING - DAY
Amy holds up the bottle of tequila. Jeff is crouching over
the fire, heating the knife's blade. Be glances toward her,
nods. Stacy is sitting down, staring at the bulge in her leg
with a dazed expression. Eric is beside her.
Amy offers the bottle to Stacy;-they all watch as she takes a
long swallow. Then she hands the bottle back to Amy, and
Jeff pulls the knife from the fire, carries it toward her.
He gestures to Eric and Amy.
JEFF
Hold her hands.
119.
They each take one of her hands. Jeff crouches over her leg.
JEFF (cont'd)
You might want to shut your eyes.
Stacy shakes her head.
STACY
I want to see.
Jeff hesitates; for a moment it seems-as if he might argue.
But then, very quickly, he leans forward and draws the knife
in one smooth movement up and around Stacy's leg. Stacy
MOANS, her body tensing, but she doesn't cry out.
The incision reveals the vine, a foot long, its leaves and
flowers clotted with Stacy's blood, which is oozing from the
wound. Jeff reaches in, pries the tendril from her flesh.
Stacy MOANS again, arching backward, as the vine emerges:
writhing and twisting. The blood comes more thickly now,
pumping from the wound, running down her leg.
Jeff drops the tendril into the dirt, steps on it, grinding
it into stillness. Stacy is breathing HARD, almost
hyperventilating. She's shut her eyes.
JEFF
Should I stop?
Stacy shakes her head, vehemently. Jeff glances at the
others. Eric shakes his head, too. Amy's eyes, like
Stacy's, are tightly shut.
JEFF (cont'd)
You'll have to roll over.
Stacy lets go of the others' hands, rolls onto her stomach.
She hitches up her shirt, revealing the small of her back,
the starfish-shaped bulge. Jeff crouches at her side.
JEFF (cont'd)
Ready?
She nods, and he leans, makes five quick incisions, in the
shape of an asterisk, directly above the bulge. Stacy's body
goes rigid, and Eric takes her hand again. Once more, we can
see the tendril through the incision: dark with her blood.
Jeff reaches in and slowly pulls the vine from her body.
There's an astonishing amount of it; he has to drop the knife
and use both hands to drag the slimy mass free.
120.
As the plant emerges from her body--thrashing, coiling and
uncoiling, covered in half-clotted blood, like a newborn--
Stacy starts to SCREAM.
EXT. CLEARING/BASE OF THE HILL - DAY
The Mayans at their campsite: three of them on guard duty,
the others napping in the shade beneath the trees. Stacy's
SCREAMING echoes down the hill toward us.
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING - DAY
They've pulled a shirt from one of the backpacks, torn it
into strips, and used these to bandage Stacy's wounds, tying
them around her leg and torso. She's lying on her side, eyes
shut, her head in Eric's lap. He's stroking her hair.
Jeff is counting the grapes into four separate piles. Amy
sits watching him. When he finishes, he gestures for her to
take a pile. Then he scoops Stacy and Eric's rations up,
carries them over.
JEFF
Can you eat?
Stacy sits up, wincing; her bandages are soaked through with
blood. She takes the grapes from him; Eric does, too. They-
all begin to eat, in silence. When they're done, Jeff passes
the water bottle around their circle. Then:
JEFF (cont'd)
We should try to rest, I guess.
(he waves toward the tent)
Get out of the sun. We're losing
moisture out--
STACY
There's more of it.
She leans forward, probes at her right thigh, prodding the
skin. The others watch her; there's no bulge visible, no
sign of the vine-at all. Eric gives her a pained look.
ERIC
There's nothing there, Stacy.
STACY
It's under the muscle. Down by the
bone.
121.
She keeps pushing at her leg. She glances from Eric to Amy
to Jeff. No one says anything.
STACY (cont'd)
Cut me and see. Right here.
She uses her finger to draw a line up her thigh.
JEFF
You're losing too much blood. And
if any of these get infected---
STACY
My calf, too.
she lifts her right leg, turning it to show the others. Jeff
bends to look. Again, there's no visible sign of the vine.
He shakes his head.
JEFF
No more cutting. Not unless---
The knife is in the dirt beside him, and Stacy leans forward,
tries to grab it. Jeff is too quick for her, though: he
snatches it up, tucks it into his belt. Stacy is becoming
more and more upset. She holds out her hands, BEGGING:
STACY
Please, Jeff.
ERIC
You can't. You can't keep--
Stacy is starting to CRY; her mouth is trembling.
STACY
It's everywhere.
She's prodding at her body: her legs, her chest and stomach.
Amy scoots toward her, grasps her hand.
ANY
STACY--
Stacy yanks her hand free, clutches her scalp, WEEPING:
STACY
It's in my head! I can feel it in
my head!
Amy takes Stacy in her arms, hugging her tight..
122.
AMY
Shh.
Stacy SOBS into Amy's shoulder, her body jumping. Amy
strokes her. Eric steps across the clearing, picks up the
bottle of tequila. He glances at Jeff, and Jeff nods.
AMY (cont'd)
You're scared, honey. You're just
scared. You know?
Stacy nods; she's still CRYING, but it's growing quieter.
Eric crouches beside her, holds out the bottle of tequila.
Stacy just stares at it. Amy encourages her:
AMY (cont'd)
It'll help.
Stacy accepts the bottle, takes a long swallow. Then
another. The others watch her in silence. Finally:
AMY (cont'd)
Can you rest some? In the tent?
Stacy is silent. She wipes the tears from her face.
STACY
That girl--
(she waves at the shaft)
I keep seeing her. When I shut my
eyes.
AMY
(NODDING)
I know...I know.
(she stands up, holds out
her hand)
Let's just lie down for a bit.
Okay?
Stacy hesitates, staring up at Amy. Then she reaches, grasps
her hand. Amy pulls her to her feet, helps her hobble across
the clearing to the tent. Jeff and Eric sit-there, watching
in silence as they vanish through the flap.
INT. ORANGE TENT - DAY
Sunlight filters through the orange nylon; all four of them
lie sleeping in a row, sweating. The vine has shredded their
clothes to tatters; they look like castaways. The tent's
flap hangs open, billowing gently in a slight breeze.
123.
Stacy open her eyes. She lies there, staring up toward the
orange nylon above her. The blood on her bandages has dried
to a dark red, bordering on black. She sits up, stares about
the tent. Eric is on one side of her, then Amy, then Jeff.
Jeff is on his back, the knife still tucked into his belt.
Stacy rises quietly, steps over Amy, crouches above him,
staring down at the knife. She reaches, tries to slip it
free, but then jerks back when Jeff shifts in his sleep.
She hesitates, watching him. She seems as if she's about to
try again, but then the tent flap billows in the breeze,
drawing her gaze. A beat, and she rises, steps carefully
over Jeff, ducks outside into the clearing.
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING - DAY
Stacy stands just beyond the tent's.flap. All is still,
quiet.- She moves to Eric's pack, crouches over it, pulls out
his phone. She flips it open, stares down at its screen:
there's still no signal. She drops it back into the pack.
She turns-to examine the clearing, her eyes falling upon the
two backpacks from the blue tent. Their pockets are zippered
open: Jeff and Eric's hurried pillaging during the downpour
has scattered their contents across the dirt.
Stacy rises, steps toward this tangled mound. She starts to
dig through it, casually at first, but then with growing
intensity, throwing T-shirts and jeans and shorts aside,
probing deeply into the pile.
Suddenly she goes still. Staring. Amid the sodden mass of
clothing sits a knife in a small scabbard.
As Stacy crouches there, the vines start to RUSTLE, a
rippling motion passing across them, as. if a wind were
sweeping the hillside. Stacy watches with a look of horror:
it looks like the pelt of some giant animal, shaking itself.
When it finally stops, she bends, reaching for the knife.
INT. ORANGE TENT - DAY
Jeff, Eric, and Amy, still sleeping. The tent's flap
continues to billow in the breeze. Very faintly, from the
clearing, WE HEAR a moan. Then the sound of WHIMPERING.
Eric opens his eyes, listening. An instant later, very
abruptly, there comes a sharp, rending SCREAM of pure pain.
Eric jumps up, starts for the flap; Jeff is right behind him.
124.
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING - DAY
Eric emerges from the tent, then Jeff, then Amy. They stand
there, staring, too horrified to move.
AMY
Oh my God.
Stacy is on the far side of the clearing. She's pulled off
her shirt, her shorts, and has cut much of the skin from her
body. She doesn't notice them. She's bent over, slicing
into her left thigh, peeling the skin back from the muscle.
ERIC
STACY--
She turns, blood-streaked, wild-eyed, the knife in her hand;
her skin is hanging from her in shreds. We can see her leg
muscles, her abdominals, a glint of bone at her left elbow.
Jeff starts forward, holding out his hand, very STERN:
JEFF
Give it. Now.
Eric follows him. Amy stays by the tent; she's begun to CRY.
AMY
Please, honey. Just--
Stacy shakes her head; she's CRYING, too, her whole body
shaking. Her hair is matted with blood; she looks terrified.
STACY
I have to get it out. It's--
Jeff darts forward, tries to grab the knife from her, and she
slashes at him, SHOUTING:
STACY (coat'd)
Leave me alonel
The blade slices into his palm. Jeff jumps back, cradling
his hand at his chest.
STACY (cont'd)
I have to--
Eric steps toward her, from behind, reaching around her body
for the knife, and she spins, reflexively, trying to fend him
off. But the knife is in her hand, and it punches into his
chest, just to the right of his sternum, sticking there.
125.
Eric looks at the knife in surprise. It's twitching back and
forth with the beating of his heart. He starts to reach for
it, but then his legs give out. He collapses, dropping to
the dirt, which has grown muddy with Stacy's blood.
Amy SCREAMS.
Stacy's CRYING deepens; she takes a step toward Eric, but
then her own body fails her. She falls to her knees in the
bloody puddle, reaching toward him.
STACY (cont'd)
Oh, no...no...no... I'm--
Eric is on his back; he struggles up onto one elbow. He
tries to speak, but only a GAGGING sound emerges, blood
frothing at his mouth. It's pumping thickly from his wound,
too, saturating his shirt.
STACY (cont'd)
I didn't...
Eric drops back again. He struggles RAGGEDLY for breath.
Jeff lowers himself to his knees beside him, hesitating
impotently over him, uncertain what to do. Stacy is SOBBING,
shaking her head. There's blood everywhere.
STACY (cont'd)
Kill me...
Jeff turns, stares at her. Amy steps forward, crouches
beside her. She takes Stacy's hand.
ANY
Shh.
STACY
Please. Just--
ANY
Shh.
STACY
It hurts. It hurts so much.
Eric tries to rise again. The blood surges from his wound
when he moves. Jeff presses him back down.
JEFF
Easy. Try to--
Stacy clutches at Amy, begging, her voice HOARSE with pain:
126.
STACY
Kill me. I can't
She stops in mid-sentence, staring. Jeff and Amy follow her
gaze. A half dozen tendrils are snaking into the clearing,
reaching toward Eric's body.
Jeff jumps to his feet. The tendrils begin to wrap
themselves around Eric's limbs, and Jeff bends to tear them
away. More and more keep coming, though. Eric has started
to convulse, GAGGING, his head cocked back.
Jeff keeps yanking the tendrils away, but there are far too
many of them; they coil around Eric's legs, pulling at him.
The blood has stopped pumping from his wound; his body has
gone still.
AMY
Jeff I
She points toward the tent. Jeff turns to see.
JEFF'S POV - ACROSS THE CLEARING
The sleeping bag in which they'd enshrouded Mathias is
moving: he's thrashing about within it, struggling to sit
up. And he's SHOUTING, too, his voice MUFFLED by the bag:
MATHIAS'S VOICE
HENRICH...! HENRICH...!
He seems to be tearing at the bag with his arms.
BACK TO SCENE
Jeff hesitates just for an instant, staring in astonishment,
then he's sprinting across the clearing. He bends, struggles
for the zipper.
JEFF
It's okay. I'm right here. I'm--
He UNZIPS the bag, and an immense tangle of vine cascades out
onto the dirt. Its flowers are a pale pink; they're opening
and closing, still calling, louder now:
MATHIAS' S VOICE
HENRICH...! HENRICH...!
The thick clot of tendrils writhes spasmodically, coiling and
uncoiling.
127.
Entwined within it are Mathias's bones, already stripped
clean of flesh. The vine falls SILENT. A beat, then it
starts to laugh, a low mocking CHUCKLE.
On the opposite side of the little clearing, Stacy begins to
SCREAM, shaking her head, SOBBING.
STACY
KILL ME...! KILL ME...!
Jeff stands there, perfectly still. Amy is holding Stacy,
struggling unsuccessfully to quiet her:
AMY
Shh. Shh.
The vine's laughter grows steadily. LOUDER, punctuated by
Stacy's SHOUTS:
STACY
KILL ME...! KILL ME...:
Amy turns, stares at Jeff. Blood is running off Stacy's body
in strings. The vine has dragged Eric to the edge of the
clearing; only his head and torso are still visible. Jeff
strides toward him.
STACY (cont'd)
KILL ME...! KILL ME...!
Jeff bends, yanks the knife from Eric's chest. Then he
starts across the clearing toward Stacy.
EXT. CLEARING/BASE OF THE HILL - DAY
The Mayans in their campsite. They're all staring up the
hill, listening. Stacy's voice ECHOES toward us:
STACY (O.S.)
KILL ME...! KILL ME...I KILL--
And then, abruptly, it goes SILENT.
EXT. HILLTOP - THE CLEARING - DAY
Amy sits beside Stacy, who lies on her back in the puddle of
blood, arms thrown out, the knife stuck hilt-deep in her
chest. Eric's body is barely visible at the edge of the
clearing; the vine RUSTLES softly as it consumes him.
128.
Jeff is pulling their remaining supplies from his knapsack:
the bananas, the raisins, the pretzels, the protein bars, the
nuts, the water, iced tea, and Coke. He has a bloody strip
of fabric tied around the wound on his hand.
Amy watches as he arranges the food in front of her. She's
CRYING silently, tears running down her dirt-smeared cheeks.
Jeff peels one of the bananas: it's dark brown, far too
ripe. He holds it out to her. She just stares at it.
JEFF
Come on. You'll need the energy.
He reaches for her hand, puts the banana in it. She holds
the fruit, but makes no move to eat. Finally, VERY QUIETLY:
AMY
I still think we should wait.
Jeff SIGHS: it's clear they've already been through this.
JEFF
You'll only get weaker.
AMY
They'll come looking. You said
THEY'LL--
JEFF
Nobody's coming.
AMY
Our parents--
JEFF
All they'll find are our bones.
Amy is silent, staring down at the banana.
JEFF (cont'd)
We don't have time for this, Amy.
You'll need as much daylight as
possible.
He waves upward, toward the sun, which has passed its peak,
begun its slow slide westward. Amy squints toward it for a
beat, and then, almost despite herself, lifts the banana to
her mouth. She bites, chews, swallows, still mutely crying.
Jeff peels the second banana; he hands it to her as soon as
she finishes the first. Be watches her eat,.silent. He's
tearing open the bag of pretzels when another tendril snakes
into the clearing.
129.
They both watch it, neither of them moving. It's joined by a
second tendril, then a third, a fourth;.the vines coil around
Stacy's body, begin to drag it from the clearing. Amy's
CRYING grows more forceful, her body shaking.
JEFF (cont'd)
Shh.
Jeff reaches, strokes her. The vine pulls Stacy's body into
itself, burying it. Amy watches, struggling to control.
herself. Her voice emerges as little more than a WHISPER:
AMY
I don't want to. I don't...
She shakes her head, wipes at her face: the tears, the snot,
the sweat, the dirt. Her clothes are falling off her body,
eaten to shreds. Jeff's, too.
AMY (cont'd)
Why can't we both?
Jeff hesitates a.beat. Then, clearly not believing it:
JEFF
We might.
He hands her the pretzels; she takes them, watching his face.
AMY
How?
JEFF
It'll take them a moment to react.
If I can make it to the trees...
He trails off, shrugs. Amy keeps staring at him; she doesn't
believe this either. He SIGHS again, holds up his hand,
pulls the bandage from his wound: it's three inches long, a
deep gash into his palm.
JEFF (cont'd)
How long till it's inside me?
Amy is silent. He flexes his hand, and the wound opens,
mouthlike, blood oozing thickly from it.
JEFF (cont'd)
It already is, probably. I'll be
just like Stacy soon.
He turns, glances toward the spot where her body has
disappeared. Amy looks, too.
130.
JEFF (cont'd)
Then what? You, all alone on this
hill... you know how that would end,
don't you?
Once more, Amy is silent. He waves for her to keep eating,
and she starts in on the pretzels, mechanically. He opens
the can of Coke, hands it to her; she takes a long sip.
JEFF (cont'd)
Once you're in the jungle, you drop
and hide.
Another tendril slithers forward. It slips into the immense
puddle of blood beside Jeff and Amy, begins to drink it.
JEFF (cont'd)
They'll never find you--it's too
thick in there. Just burrow down,
and they'll run right past.
Jeff opens the can of nuts, sets it in front of Amy. Then he
gets up, crouches over the puddle of blood. He cups. his
hands, dips them into the puddle. He steps toward Amy,
smears the blood across her T-shirt. Amy keeps eating.
JEFF (cont'd)
It's sudden movements that'll get
you caught. So take your time.
You step, then listen. Then
another step, and listen again.
He moves back to the puddle, which the lone tendril continues'
to drain. He cups his hands, scoops up more blood, smears it
on her tattered khakis. Amy has finished the pretzels; she
reaches for the nuts, looking numb..
JEFF (cont'd)
East, always east--keep the sun at
your back.
He scoops up more blood from the puddle.
JEFF (cont'd)'
Arms.
Amy holds out her arms, and he smears the blood on them.
JEFF (cont'd)
You'll hear me yell. I'll yell
your name.
131.
He returns yet again to the puddle, then stands over her, the
blood cupped in his hands, dripping.
JEFF (cont'd)
And you can't hesitate.
Understand? Not for an instant.
Amy nods, and he uncups his hands over her head. She shuts
her eyes as the blood runs into her hair, down her forehead,
her neck, her face.
EXT. CLEARING/BASE OF THE HILL - DAY
Three of the Mayan men, as usual, sit in the clearing, bows
in their laps, facing the hill. The others are sheltering
from the sun in the line of shade along the jungle's margin,
some sleeping, some talking quietly together.
One of the men in the clearing suddenly rises to his feet,
nocking an arrow. The other two also rise. The Mayans along
the clearing fall silent, staring up the hill.
THE MAYANS' POV - UP THE HILL
Jeff is approaching down the trail, carrying Amy, pieta-like,
in his arms. Her body is limp, apparently lifeless, and
dripping with blood.
BACK TO SCENE
The bald Mayan emerges from the tree line, followed by yet
another man with a bow. They join the other three Mayans in
the center of the clearing. They all watch as Jeff reaches
the base of the trail, where he carefully lays Amy down.
Jeff crouches over Amy, laying her arms across her chest,
pushing the hair from her face. He bends, kisses her blood-
smeared forehead. Then he glances up at the Mayans.
JEFF
You don't even know her name.
The Mayans just stare at him. He rises to his feet, pulling
the knife from his belt: it's darkly stained with. blood.
JEFF (cont'd)
You should. You should know who
you're killing.
132.
He steps out into the clearing. The bald Mayan pulls his
pistol from its holster, raises it, aiming at Jeff's chest.
The others draw their bows. Jeff smiles, taps his sternum.
JEFF (cont'd)
Jeff. Understand? My name's Jeff.
He edges along the clearing's margin, keeping close to the
vines, moving away from Amy's body. The Mayans follow him,
weapons raised. After a handful of steps, he stops again,
turns toward them.
JEFF (cont'd)
Can you say it? Huh?
Again, the Mayans just stare. He SLAPS at his chest.
JEFF (cont'd)
Jeff.
A beat, then he suddenly YELLS, waving the knife at the men.
JEFF (cont'd)
SAY MY FUCKING NAME!
Silence. The Mayans stand there with their weapons raised,
waiting to see what he might do. A beat, then he starts
walking once more, along the clearing's edge, away from Amy.
Another ten yards and he stops again, waves up the hill.
JEFF (cont'd)
There's Stacy, too. And Eric.
Mathias. And Henrich. You've
killed them all.
He steps toward them. The bald man raises his hand, holds it
up, palm out, next to his pistol. Jeff smiles at him again.
JEFF (cont'd)
But not everyone.
He LAUGHS, a little wildly, and shakes his head.
JEFF (cont'd)
Look at you, you stupid fucks. You
have no idea what I'm saying, do
you?
He takes another step into the clearing. The bald man COCKS
his pistol, loudly. Several of the other Mayans have emerged
from the jungle; they stand there watching.
133.
JEFF (cont'd)
One of us is gonna survive. You
should know that name, too. You
fuckers. You bastards.
He takes yet another step forward. The bald man speaks a
string of words IN MAYAN, with an edge of warning. More
Mayans emerge from-the jungle, shielding their eyes against
the sun, staring. No one is looking in Amy's direction.
JEFF (cont'd)
It's not Jeff.
He shakes his head, his voice dropping, almost to a WHISPER:
JEFF .(cont'd)
It's not me.
He takes another step. And then, still QUIETLY:
JEFF (cont'd)
It's Amy. You hear?
He takes a deep breath, gathering himself. Then he YELLS--
JEFF (cont'd)
AMY;
--and starts to run, straight at the Mayans. He only manages
three steps before the bald man FIRES his pistol, and the
others let their arrows fly.
The bullet hits Jeff in the chest, just beneath his throat.
One of the arrows misses; the other three strike his stomach,
his left arm, his right thigh. Before he even hits the
ground, there's a SHOUT from the Mayans along the treeline.
The bald man turns. Amy is on her feet, sprinting for the
jungle. The bald man raises. his pistol, FIRES, but the shot
is too hurried; it goes wide. The others are still
scrambling for fresh arrows as she vanishes into the trees.
The bowmen sprint after her, disappearing into the jungle,
leaving the bald man alone in the clearing with Jeff. The
Mayan women stand motionless along the treeline, staring.
after Amy: they look mortified, grief-stricken.
Jeff is bleeding heavily from his wounds, struggling to crawl
forward, his breath frothing pinkly at his lips. A half
dozen tendrils slither into the clearing. They coil around
his legs, start to drag him back toward the hill. Jeff
fights them, kicking, MOANING, bleeding.
134.
The bald man watches. He, too, looks grief-stricken. He
steps forward, aims at Jeff's head. As he FIRES, WE:
CUT TO A BLACK SCREEN
WE HEAR footsteps, moving quickly down a tiled floor.
DOCTOR (O.S.)
(a slight Spanish accent)
She flagged down a tour bus, just
west of Coba--
The voice CARRIES OVER into:
INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - MOVING - NIGHT
A Mexican DOCTOR, in his late fifties, balding, a little
stooped, his white jacket buttoned over a shirt and tie, is
hurrying down the corridor, accompanied by TERESA, a dark-
haired woman in beige slacks, a blue blouse.
Teresa has- a leather briefcase, a Blackberry on her belt.
She's holding Amy's passport,. which she examines as they
walk. It's smeared with dried blood.
DOCTOR
--and collapsed before the driver
even managed to open the door.
The corridor is brightly lit, very clean. Rooms open off it
on either side, and we glimpse the still.forms of sleeping
patients as we pass, IVs hanging from metal stands beside
their beds. It's very quiet.
DOCTOR (cont'd)
She revived briefly, just after
they brought her in. She was in
bad shape--severely dehydrated,
traumatized, in shock. And
terribly frightened. It was
impossible to make any sense of
what she was saying. She was
sobbing, hysterical. We had to
sedate her.
The doctor has a manila folder under his arm; he opens it,
pulls out a piece of paper: a color printout of a digital
photo. He hands it to Teresa.
DOCTOR (cont'd)
Her clothes were torn; she was
covered in blood. But not her own.
135.
Teresa stares down at the photo: it shows Amy on a gurney,
unconscious, blood-smeared, corpse-like.
TERESA
Now do you know?
DOCTOR
She has no wounds.
A uniformed policeman sits on a chair outside one of the
rooms at the end of the corridor, reading a newspaper. He
rises as they approach. Teresa hands the printout back to
the doctor; she keeps the passport.
TERESA
That's it? That's all you have?
DOCTOR
I'm afraid so.
Be nods to the policeman, and leads Teresa into:
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - NIGHT
A bed, a night stand, a curtained window. Amy lies with a
sheet pulled to her chin, unconscious, an IV dripping into
her arm. They've cleaned the blood off her.
A NURSE sits in a chair beside the bed. She's in her early
twenties, with long dark hair tied in a bun. She stands up,
stepping back from the bed, as the doctor and Teresa enter.
The doctor addresses her in SUBTITLED SPANISH:
DOCTOR
Has she stirred?
The nurse shakes her head. The doctor moves to the bed. He
takes Amy's wrist, feeling for her-pulse. Amy's eyes open at
his touch. She stares at him, her arm hanging limply in his
grasp. He smiles down at her.
DOCTOR (cont'd)
There you are...
Teresa steps forward, and Amy's gaze shifts to her.
DOCTOR (cont'd)
My name is Dr. Hernandez...
Amy's eyes return to the doctor;. they fall on his face, then
drift down to his chest. The doctor gestures toward Teresa:
136.
DOCTOR (cont'd)
And this is Ms. Bern, from the U.S.
Consulate.
Amy is staring at his white coat, her expression going slack,
almost catatonic, all the life draining from it.
DOCTOR (cont'd)
we were hoping you might be able to
shed a little light on what you've
been through...
Amy is silent, still staring with that dead look in her eyes
at the doctor's coat: a faint green web of vine has taken
root there, spreading across the white fabric. WE HOLD on it
for a beat, and then:
THE END
