| EXT. POOL. DAY.
Richard climbs from the pool.
RICHARD (V.O.)
So that was it. Now I knew exactly what would happen. I wouldn't
need to wonder aobut it any longer.
EXT. CLEARING. NIGHT.
Richard walks across the deserted clearing towards the light
of the longhouse.
Around him, a wind begins to blow.
INT. LOONGHOUSE. NIGHT.
The longhouse is full. Everyone is there, apart from Etienne
and Francoise, engaged in quiet conversation.
Richard is hardly noticed as he sits down.
A few seconds later, Sal sits opposite him. She is absolutely
matter of fact.
SAL
Well?
RICHARD
They're dead.
SAL
All of them?
RICHARD
Yes, all of them. They disturbed the farmers.
SAL
Right.
RICHARD
I guess that means we don't need to worry about them any more.
SAL
Yeah. The only problem we have left is Francoise and Etienne.
Richard realizes what she means.
RICHARD
You knew they'd be killed.
SAL
It's not the first time.
RICHARD
And Daffy?
SAL
What?
RICHARD
Daffy. He saw it happen. Didn't he? Yea, he saw it happen. And
now you wanted me to see it happen.
SAL
Richard, if you're going to live here, you've got to get involved.
Richard's knife (the stolen one) is lying beside him. Sal picks
it up by the tip of the blade.
SAL
(continuing)
Francoise. And Etienne.
She slaps the knife into Richard's hand.
She stands up and walks away.
Richard contemplates the knife.
EXT. CLEARING. NIGHT.
A storm is building up, scattering anything loose across the
clearing.
INT. LONGHOUSE. NIGHT.
Most of the lights are out now. The wind is beginning to rattle
the building.
Richard lies awake.
RICHARD (V.O.)
I wasn't thinking about what she asked me to do.
INT. HOTEL CORRIDOR. DAY.
Richard and Daffy shake hands.
RICHARD (V.O.)
I was trying to remember somewhere I used to call home, someone
I used to be, but I couldn't put a name to that place or a face
to that person anymore - they got left behind in a hotel room in
the Khao San Road along with a man who cut his wrists.
INT. DAFFY'S ROOM. DAY.
Richard steps carefully across the floor, avoiding the pools
of blood.
RICHARD (V.O.)
But at least I understood why he'd done it.
EXT. CLEARING. NIGHT.
It is pouring rain and the storm grows stronger.
Richard appears alone in the clearing, the knife in his hadn.
Thunder and lightening begin.
RICHARD (V.O.)
I still didn't know what I was going to do when I got to them.
You see, when you have blood on your hands, you ask yourself, what
difference will it make if you spill some more? I had made a sacrifice
to keep the secret, and now that sacrifice was the secret.
EXT. FOREST. NIGHT.
Richard approaches the faint glow of the small tent where Francoise
is nursing christo.
He is carrying the knife.
He crawls close up to the tent. Etienne is sleeping in the open
doorway.
INT. LONGHOUSE NIGHT.
Inside there is darkness while all are sleeping.
The thunder is directly overhead and the lightening flashes frequently.
Sonja stirs in her sleep.
In a flash of lightening she thinks she sees something.
A whole series of flashes provide a clearer view.
At the end of her bed four corpses, Zeph, Sammy, and the two
German girls, hang upside down and bound together from the central
beam in the roof of the building.
Zeph appears to be staring at her, his hair trailing against
her feet.
She screams.
More lightening illuminates the four armed Farmers.
EXT. FOREST. NIGHT.
Richard crawls towards the sleeping Etienne.
Inside the tent, Francoise has her back to the entrance as she
mops the brow of Christo, feverish and unconscious.
INT. LONGHOUSE. NIGHT.
The farmers have torches now.
One of them is interrogating Sal angrily in Thai while the other
inhabitants cower at gunpoint.
FARMER
You draw maps! You bring people here! Why?
SAL
No, we don't. We bring no one.
FARMER
You are lying! You are bringing people here. Too many people!
He hits her with the rifle butt.
SAL
No, I promise, we keep it secret. We tell no one.
He hits her again.
FARMER
Then who drew this?
He holds out the map drawn by Richard.
EXT. FOREST. NIGHT.
Richard draws closer to Etienne. He reaches him, the knife poised
in his hand.
INT. LONGHOUSE. NIGHT.
The four bodies hang from the roof.
The farmers have gone.
Sal lies injured on the floor.
The inhabitants silently pass the map from one to the other.
It reaches Bugs last. He studies it.
EXT. FOREST. NIGHT.
Richard's bald is at Etienne's throat.
He opens his eyes, frozen with fear.
Richard is aware of a gaze from another direction. Keeping the
knife at Etienne's throat, he turns to see that Francoise is looking
at him. They stare at each other.
Richard takes the knife away.
RICHARD
You have to leave. Do you understand? You have to leave right
now. If you don't they'll kill you.
ETIENNE
What about Christo?
RICHARD
There is nothing more you can do. I'll look after him.
FRANCOISE
Richard -
RICHARD
You don't have time to talk about this. You have to go now.
Christo moans. Etienne looks at him.
RICHARD
(continuing)
Leave him with me.
Etienne understands. He and Richard stare at each other.
EXT. FOREST. NIGHT.
Bugs runs through the forest, away from the lights of the clearing.
EXT. FOREST. NIGHT.
Francoise and Etienne flee through the forest towards the beach.
INT. SMALL TENT. NIGHT.
Richard studies Christo, illuminated by a torch.
His breathing is labored and irregular.
Richard reaches forward. He pinches Christo's nose and covers
his mouth.
Christo's body struggles briefly and goes still.
Richard relaxes his grip.
He switches off the torch.
EXT. LAGOON. NIGHT.
Richard swims out from the beach.
EXT. LAGOON/CLIFFS. NIGHT.
Richard swims out towards the cliff.
He reaches the cliff and pauses, taking a deep breath before
submerging towards the underwater tunnel.
INT. CAVE. NIGHT.
Moonlight reflects in through the chimney and the entrance.
Etienne and Francoise are in the boat.
Etienne is trying to start the boat.
He sees the silhouette of a man surface and crawl onto the flat
rock.
Etienne steps off the boat onto the rock as the figure in the
shadows approaches him.
ETIENNE
Richard, come one, get into the boat.
The man pulls Etienne forward and stabs him deep into his abdomen.
ETIENNE
(continuing)
Richard!
It is Bugs.
BUGS
Richard can't help you now, French boy.
Francoise screams.
Bugs releases Etienne who falls helpless to his knees.
Bugs turns his attention to Francoise. She pulls the start cord
and the engine starts.
Bugs holds one end of the mooring rope, pulling the boat towards
him while Francoise tries to undo the other end.
RICHARD (O.S.)
Hey, Bugs!
Richard stands on the rock.
Bugs turns towards him. He drops the rope and walks a couple
of paces, then rushes him.
Richard manages to avoid the blade.
They fight.
Bugs forces Richard on to the ground
He is about to stab Richard.
Etienne appears behind Bugs, struggling on his feet, bleeding
from his wound.
He is holding a piece of rope. He slings it around Bug's neck.
Etienne's eyes roll and his head lolls.
He falls back into the water, pulling Bugs with him.
UNDERWATER. NIGHT.
Etienne and the struggling Bugs sink.
Bugs cannot free himslf, becoming only more entangled.
INT. CAVE. NIGHT
Richard lies on the flat rock.
Francoise is in the boat.
She switches off the engine.
UNDERWATER. NIGHT.
Etienne and Bugs lie at rest on the sea bed.
EXT. SEA. DAY.
A calm sunny day.
Richard and Francoise are on the boat, drifting.
RICHARD (V.O.)
That was the worst thing: I didn't even get to die. I had to
live with myself.
INT. HOTEL ROOM. DAY.
In a typical Khao San Road hotel. The room is a mess.
Richard disheveled and haggard is sitting at a small table, working
with a pencil and a piece of paper.
RICHARD (V.O.)
I haven't seen her since and I don't suppose I ever will. I've
been here six months now.
EXT. CLEARING. DAY.
The clearing is deserted and overgrown.
The longhouse is derelict and overrun with creepers.
EXT. ISLAND. DAY.
From above in one rising shot, the beach, the lagoon, and the
island.
RICHARD (V.O.)
Listening to all the people talk about where they're going to
go and ho great it's going to be, and I try to tell them: you can
go too far, you can find out too much, but no one ever listens,
no one ever listens. I guess there's some things you just have to
discover for yourself.
INT. HOTEL ROOM. DAY.
He finishes his work. It is a copy of The Map.
He picks up a single tack.
INT. HOTEL CORRIDOR. DAY.
Richard pins the map to the door of an adjacent room.
He walks back to the open door of his own room.
He looks back once and closes the door.
Close on The Map.
THE END
|
