BILLY You did a whole lot of my thinking for me, didn't you?
CAT
You ought to thank me! You sure haven't been doing much for yourself!
BILLY
And what about the baby? The one you murdered? How much thinking did you do about the baby?
144
(no reply from CAT) Get out of here. I can't stand listening to you.
STORM OF THE CENTURY 169
CAT
Dear God. You're unfaithful, and that's bad, but you're a coward, and that's worse too chicken to own up to the part of this that belongs to you. I thought maybe I could save us, but there's nothing to save. You're only a stupid kid, after all.
She turns to go. BILLY'S face cramps with rage. He stands facing the shelves, and now he sees: 63 INTERIOR: THE CANS OF JUICE, FROM BILLY'S POINT OF VIEW.
"McCALL'S BRAND" at the top has been replaced by "McCANE'S BRAND." The ripe apple on the labels has been replaced by a black cane with a silver wolfs head. And instead of "GRADE A FANCY,"
each can reads "GRADE A BITCHY."
64 INTERIOR: THE CONSTABLE'S OFFICE, FEATURES LINOGE. LINOGE puts out his hand and MIMES GRIPPING AN OBJECT.
KIRK
What's he doing?
MIKE shakes his head. He doesn't know.
65 INTERIOR: THE STORAGE SHED, WITH BILLY AND CAT.
He takes one of the cans off the shelf, gripping it like a club as CAT, headed for the door, steps over the half-loaded toboggan behind him.
66 INTERIOR: THE CONSTABLE'S OFFICE, FEATURES LINOGE.
MIKE What's up, sir? Mind telling me?
LINOGE takes no notice. He's totally absorbed. He makes the twirling gesture with his forefinger again, then scissors his fingers in the air to mime WALKING.
67 INTERIOR: THE SHED, WITH BILLY AND CAT.
She's at the door, back to him, when BILLY turns with the big can of apple juice. He steps toward her
170 STEPHEN KING
68 INTERIOR: THE CONSTABLE'S OFFICE.
MIKE walks toward the cell as LINOGE gets to his feet and raises his arm above his head. His hand is cupped, as if holding an object that only he can see.
69 INTERIOR: THE SHED, WITH BILLY AND CAT.
As CAT steps out into the storm, BILLY raises the can over his head.
70 INTERIOR: THE CELL, WITH LINOGE.
He raises his other hand, now MIMING A TWO-HANDED GRIP.
71 EXTERIOR: OUTSIDE THE SUPPLY SHED, WITH CAT NIGHT.
She stands just outside the door on the rapidly disappearing toboggan track. She wipes the tears from her cheeks with her gloved palms, then readjusts her scarf.
145
It gives BILLY plenty of time. He appears behind her in the doorway with the can raised over his head in both hands, his face twisted into a hateful grimace.
72 INTERIOR: THE CELL, WITH LINOGE.
MIKE stands outside the bars, looking at his prisoner with perplexity and fear. The other men huddle behind him. LINOGE ignores them all and BRINGS HIS HANDS DOWN.
73 EXTERIOR: THE SUPPLY SHED, WITH BILLY AND CAT.
BILLY almost does it. We see the heavy can of apple juice actually start an arc of descent that would mime the one described by LINOGE'S hands, and then it stops. The expression of BLIND
RAGE on BILLY'S face breaks up into one of bewilderment and horror my God, he's almost caved her skull in! *
CAT neither knows nor intuits any of this. She begins trudging back toward the town hall with her head lowered and the ends of her scarf blowing in the gale.
STORM OF THE CENTURY 171
74 INTERIOR: THE CELL, WITH LINOGE.
He's still bent over, his linked hands swinging by his knees, the picture of a man who has just delivered a hard blow with a heavy object. But he knows he's failed. His face is BEADED WITH
SWEAT, and his eyes are hot with fury.
LINOGE She's right. You are a coward.
MIKE
What in the hell are you
LINOGE
(roaring) Shut up!
On the table, one of the Coleman gas lamps BLOWS APART, glass spraying. The men by the desk CRINGE.
LINOGE wheels around, looking wild and distracted more like a tiger in a cage than ever and then throws himself facedown on the cot, with his arms wrapped around his head. He's MUTTERING.
MIKE leans as close as the cell bars will allow, listening.
LINOGE The back step . . . the back step ... by the back step . . .
75 EXTERIOR: THE BACK STEPS OF THE TOWN HALL NIGHT.
We're looking through the snow-filled panes into the kitchen, where CORA still sits, observing the bustle of JOANNA and MRS. KINGS-BURY. They have now been joined by CARLA ST. PIERRE and ROBERTA COIGN these two are loading the dishwasher. It all looks cozy and pleasant, especially given the HOWLING WIND and DRIVING SNOW just outside.
THE CAMERA PANS DOWN. Beside the snow-covered stoop is a milk storage box. And leaning against the milk box, buried to half its length in a snowdrift, is LINOGE'S CANE. The wolf's head glares.
172 STEPHEN KING
CAT'S GLOVED HAND comes down and touches the silver head. One finger runs over the wolfs snarling muzzle.
76 EXTERIOR: CAT, CLOSE-UP NIGHT. Wide-eyed. Fascinated.
146
77 INTERIOR: THE CELL, WITH LINOGE NIGHT.
Still facedown on his bunk, arms wrapped around his head, MUTTERING RAPIDLY. CHANTING.
MIKE doesn't know what's going on, but he knows it's bad news.
MIKE Stop it, Linoge!
LINOGE pays no attention. If anything, the RAPID MUMBLE of his words SPEEDS UP.
78 EXTERIOR: THE BACK STOOP OF THE TOWN HALL NIGHT.
CAT is gone, but we can see her tracks where she turned around and headed back to the supply shed again.
V
The cane is gone, too. Blowing snow is rapidly softening the edges of the hole where its barrel was shoved into the snowbank.
79 INTERIOR: THE SUPPLY SHED, FEATURING BILLY NIGHT.
He's squatting to one side of the toboggan, which is now completely loaded. He spreads a piece of tarp over the goods, then begins to secure this with a couple of pieces of elasticized cord.
We can't see the doorway from this angle, but we see the SHADOW SHAPE that falls over him . . .
and we also see the SHADOW OF THE CANE when it extends itself from the human shape and begins to rise. The movement attracts BILLY'S eye, as well. He shifts position . . . looks up ...
80 INTERIOR: CAT WITHERS, FROM BILLY'S POINT OF VIEW NIGHT. Transformed into an avenging harpy. Her lips are pulled back from her
STORM OF THE CENTURY 173
teeth in a snarl. She is holding the cane by its foot, with the wolf's head protruding.
She SCREAMS and brings the cane down.
81 INTERIOR: LINOGE, FACEDOWN ON THE CELL COT.
SCREAMING TRIUMPHANTLY into the pillow, with his arms still wrapped around his head.
82 INTERIOR: THE CONSTABLE'S OFFICE, WIDER.
MIKE backs away from the cell door, UNNERVED. The other four men are pressed together like sheep in a hailstorm. All of them are TERRIFIED. LINOGE CONTINUES SCREAMING.
83 EXTERIOR: ANGLE ON THE SUPPLY SHED NIGHT.
From out here, we can't see what's happening, and that's probably good. We can see CAT'S
SHADOW, however . . . and the shadow of the cane, rising and falling, rising and falling.
FADE TO BLACK. THIS ENDS ACT 2.
ActS
84 EXTERIOR: THE LIGHTHOUSE NIGHT.
The tide, now on the ebb, sends up explosions of FOAMY WATER, but the searchlight continues to swing around. Some of the windows at the top are broken out, but the lighthouse has won out over the storm. For now, anyway.