REC ROOM / LATER: MacReady, still carrying the industrial torch, has maneuvered all the men into the room. He holds Garry's .44.
CLARK: What do you got in mind, MacReady?
MACREADY: A little test. . . Windows, you and Palmer tie everybody down real tight.
He tosses a spool of rope to Palmer.
CHILDS: What for?
MACREADY: For your health.
GARRY (to others): Come on, let's rush him! He's not going to blow us all up.
CLARK: No, now wait a minute. Let's do what Mac says. I mean, he wasted Norris pretty quick, didn't he?
MACREADY: That's close enough, Clark.
CHILDS (a beat): You ain't tying me up.
MACREADY: Then I'll have to kill you, Childs.
CHILDS: Then kill me.
MacReady points the .44 at Childs' head.
MACREADY: I mean it.
MacReady cocks his gun. Childs holds his ground.
CHILDS: I guess you do.
A beat. Clark springs for MacReady. Scalpel raised. MacReady spins and fires point-blank, the force of the charge sending Clark flying backwards.
LATER: Most of the men have been tied up. Childs and Garry on the small couch. The others, including the lifeless corpses of Clark and Copper laid out on the table.
PALMER: This is bullshit, Mac!
MACREADY: Finish it, Palmer.
PALMER (bemused): They're dead, Mac!
MacReady cuts the rubber covering off an electrical cord, exposing the copper wire. All the while, he keeps his eye on the men.
MACREADY: Windows.
WINDOWS: Yo.
MACREADY: You tie up Palmer over here.
Windows ties Palmer to the small couch next to Childs and Garry.
The camera pans the men from right to left, all eyes fixed on MacReady as he explains his plan.
MACREADY: We're going to draw a little bit of everybody's blood. . . We're going to find out who's the Thing. Watching Norris in there gave me the idea . . . maybe every part of him is a whole. Every little piece is an individual animal, with a built-in desire to protect it's own life.
MACREADY: You see, when a man bleeds, it's just tissue. But blood from one of you Things won't obey when it's attacked. It will try and survive -- crawl away from a hot needle say.
MOMENTS LATER: Naul grimaces as Windows pinches a scalpel to his thumb and collects a small portion of his blood in a dish. The names of each man have been scribbled onto the plates. Windows brings the plate to MacReady. MacReady gives him a fresh plate.
MACREADY (to Windows): Now you.
Windows cuts his thumb, his blood dribbles onto the plate. He stands nervously for a beat.
MACREADY: That's good. . . Allright, move back. Over there.
Windows steps backward, moisture beginning to collect on his brow. MacReady begins to heat the copper wire over the torch nozzle. The men watch intently. The wire begins to glow.
MacReady lifts the glowing wire from the flame. Windows is dead still. MacReady slowly touches the wire to Windows's plate. A soft hiss. Windows lets out a sigh.
MACREADY: I guess you're okay. . . . Allright, put that on and watch them. (pointing to the other flame thrower)
MACREADY: Now I'll show you what I already know.
He heats the wire and puts it to his plate. The same harmless hissing.
CHILDS: This is a crock of shit.
MACREADY: Now let's try Doc and Clark.
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