INT. HALLWAY: Suddenly, the shoulder of a man springs into frame.
FUCHS: Who's that!?
The silhouette moves on down the hallway.
EXT. COMPOUND: Fuchs rushes out and ignites a flare. His eyes search the grounds for the mysterious figure.
Just a few yards away he notices something on the ground. He approaches and kneels down to inspect it. It is discarded clothing.
On the back of the shredded clothing, it reads "R.J. MACREADY."
REC ROOM, LATER: Except for Blair and Fuchs, everyone present. Clark, Copper, and Garry are still on the couch with their hands tied.
MACREADY: Anybody see Fuchs?
No answer as the men's faces roam the room.
MACREADY: Somebody blew out a fuse in the lab. The lights were out in there for an hour, any one of us could have got to him. We got to find him. . . Allright, Nauls, won't you come with me and we'll look outside. Palmer, you and windows check the inside.
PALMER: I ain't going with Windows! . . . I ain't going with him! I'll go with Childs.
Windows snaps his head toward Palmer. Palmer looks at the others. Windows, furious, slams his gloves down.
WINDOWS: Hey fuck you, Palmer!
Windows lunges as Palmer, Childs intervenes.
PALMER: I ain't going with you!
CHILDS: Who says I want you going with me!?
MacReady slams his hand down in anger and shouts at them.
MACREADY: Allright, cut the bullshit!!!
MACREADY: Windows, you come with us. Norris, you stay here. If any of them move, you fry them (refers to tied-up men). You hear anything, anything at all, you cut loose on the siren. We all meet back here in twenty minutes, regardless. . . And everybody watch whoever you are with . . . real close.
The men survey each other.
INT. COMPOUND - HALLWAY: One of the many doors creak open. Childs and Palmer stealthily move into the next corridor. Palmer falls a few steps behind. He moves to the other side of the wall, parallel with Childs. They continue on, skimming along the sides of the corridor in plain view of one another.
INT. REC ROOM: Norris continues his watch on the sedated trio. He anxiously tries to keep an eye on the various entrances behind and in front of him. He rubs his chest in pain.
EXT. COMPOUND: MacReady, Windows, and Nauls, using a flare for light, pull themselves along the steadying rope that leads to Blair's shed. They are careful to keep an eye on each other as they move along. They peer in through the door portal. A weak light burns as Blair is seated eating out of a can. A hangman's noose dangles from the ceiling nearby.
MACREADY: Hey Blair, have you seen Fuchs?
BLAIR: I don't want to stay out here anymore. I want to come back inside. . . . . Funny things, I hear funny things out here.
MACREADY: Have you come across Fuchs?
BLAIR: It ain't Fuchs. . . . . It ain't Fuchs. Now I'm not going to harm anybody and there's nothing wrong with me. And if there was, I'm all better now. I would like to come back inside. Now you got my promise!
MACREADY: We'll see.
Blair approaches the door portal. He looks haggard and afraid.
BLAIR: Hey wait a minute. Wait a minute, man. I want to come back inside, don't you understand? I'm allright, I'm much better and I won't harm anybody. Now you got to let me come back inside!
MacReady closes the door portal as Blair continues to plead.
As the three men head back to the compound, Windows notices something on the ground.
WINDOWS: Hold it!
NAULS: Is it Fuchs?
MacReady reaches downs and picks up Fuch's mangled wire framed glasses.
MACREADY: Yea.
NAULS: Why would it burn him?
Windows reaches down and picks up a spent flare.
WINDOWS: Flare. . . Maybe he tried to burn it.
MACREADY: Maybe he burned himself before it could get to him.
WINDOWS: Great! Now what are we going to do?
MacReady looks up and notices his shack.
MACREADY: You go inside, tell the others we found Fuchs. We'll be in as soon as we can.
NAULS: Where are we going?
MACREADY: Up to my shack.
NAULS: What the hell for?
MACREADY: Because when I left yesterday, I turned the lights off.
EXT. COMPOUND - THE SLOPE TO MACREADY'S SHACK: Windows returns to the compound, Nauls and MacReady make their way to his shack. The winds are thick and vicious now. MacReady and Nauls pull themselves along the rope fighting their way up the slope. A violent gust sends MacReady's body horizontal, but still hanging onto the rope.
The wind slaps him back down. His flare and torch tumble back toward Nauls. Nauls saves the torch from rolling down the hill. MacReady, lying vulnerable, watches Nauls pull his way toward him. He tenses. Nauls reaches him. A beat. He hands back his torch. Relieved, MacReady pulls himself upright.
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